The JSM demanded the immediate dismissal of all officiating teachers in in EJH District

Jowai, October 26: The Jaintia Students Movement Central Body (JSM) demanded the immediate dismissal of all officiating teachers in Govt. Lower Primary School (GLPS) and  Govt. Upper Primary School (GUPS) in East Jaintia Hills District as they were appointed without conducting any interview as to ascertain their capabilities to nurture the young minds academically and morally from their primary stage of learning.

The queries posed by JSM Central Body by president Leningstar Rymbai through RTI Act 2005 to the Public Information Officer, office of the Sub Divisional School Education Officer (SDSEO), Khliehriat, East Jaintia Hills District recently where it was learnt that the officiating teachers were appointed through backdoor system and mere approval of the higher authority flouting all norms.

Mr Rymbai said enquired whether the Education department issued open advertisement for information of all concerned for appointing officiating teacher where a vacancy arise as stop-gap arrangement and whether interview is being conducted for selecting eligible candidates.

The reply received from the concerned PIO was in plain simple words, “appointment for 59 days with a break of day or two, on the approval from DSEL the Directorate of School Education and  Literacy Shillong.” This only imply that there is nepotism and favoritism over the recruitment of officiating teachers where only the lucky few gets to know and are appointment, allege the JSM president.

As per the RTI’s reply, there are more than 30 officiating teachers appointed in the GLPS & GUPS in the district and they were appointed without any interview despite the fact that they have a heavy responsibility of teaching small children.

Another glaring fact emerging from the RTI’s query is the gross discrimination and negligence of the State Education Department on Saipung Community and  Rural Development (C&RD) Block which is one of the most backward blocks in the state in all spheres. As per the RTI reply, there are no Govt. Lower Primary Schools in 40 villages and no Govt. Upper Primary School in 75 villages under Saipung C&RD Block.

Out of the 40 villages without GLPS, there are 38 villages which have either SSA Lower Primary Schools or Non Govt. School or District Council Lower Primary School but ironically there are two villages namely Kizakham and Lalzal where there is only private lower primary school and the Education Department took no initiatives to set up a Govt. or Non Govt. or SSA Lower Primary School in the two said villages.

Further out of the 75 villages without Govt. UPS, there are 52 villages which are covered by SSA or Non Govt. or Deficit or Private UPS whereas 23 villages are still without any Upper Primary School for a flimsy ground of less population. The 23 villages are Moolait Bri Sutnga, Tympiahkasu, Sahkai, Kyrluh, Sielkan, Moopad, Umthe, Jongriathar, Teizol, Artan, P.Zoar, Kizakham, Lalzal, Shyrwang, Mookhain, Larket, Mooknor, Kseh, Fiangpui, Ngaibang, Lumchyrngan and Lungmaicham.

Taking strong cognizance over the discrimination and negligence of Saipung Block by the State Education Department, the JSM as a responsible student body urged the state government to take appropriate steps as to set Govt. or Non Govt. or SSA LPS & UPS in the villages concerned.

The office of the SSA District Unit of erstwhile Jaintia Hills has failed in two important aspects of the SSA scheme viz., there are no parents-teachers associations (PTA) formed in the school and secondly there is no village education committee (VEC) functioning in the two blocks of East Jaintia Hills district viz., Saipung and Khliehriat as per the reply obtained through RTI.

The PTA is an important body of parents and teachers where they can work together towards nurturing the budding young minds while the VEC is a monitoring body at the grass root level to check the functioning of Govt./SSA/Non Govt./Deficit School whether teacher come regularly and whether mid day meal is being distributed and to check the drop out and out of school children.

As per the RTI reply the prescribed norms for pupil-teacher ratio is 1:30 for lower primary school and 1:35 for upper primary school but according to information obtained through RTI indicated otherwise and reflecting gross anomaly and irregularities in the overall management of Govt. LPS & Govt. UPS in the district.

For instance, there are seven teachers in Sutnga Govt. UPS to teach 40 numbers of students again in Cham Cham Govt. LPS there are three teachers for 46 students only. Alarmingly, there are two teachers to teach only 11 numbers of students in Umthe Nepali Govt. LPS and three teachers for 33 students in Khliehriat East Govt. LPS and four teachers (1-officiating) in Iapmala Govt. LPS for 33 students. The list of Govt. schools whose PTR does not tally or there is excessive number of students are endless.

But again there are some Govt. LPS/UPS in the district where the enrollment is high but the number of teachers is less which is evidently proven in Wapungskur Govt. UPS there are five teachers to teach 239 number of students given a pupil teacher ratio (PTR) of 1-48 and another case of is of Narwan Govt. UPS where there are 3 teachers for 183 students implying PTR of 1:61. Again there are two teachers one is officiating teacher for 111 students in Huroi Govt. LPS.

The JSM demanded that the government should rectify these anomalies by conducting a thorough enquiry into the number of teachers and number of students in each Govt. LPS and Govt. UPS and accordingly transfer teachers from school with fewer enrollments to school with high enrollment to ensure justice and proper deliverance of education to the students.

 

 

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