Arunachal Pradesh
Teacher transfer committees
THE STATE government has constituted two committees headed by the directors of elementary education and school education departments to study “genuine problems” confronting teachers in the mass transfer of 567 teachers in September from East Siang district, the Arunachal government’s secretary for education, Bamang Felix informed media personnel in Itanagar on October 17.
“It is the objective of the state government to ensure quality education is provided to each and every child of the state. For ensuring this, rationalisation of teachers’ postings was necessary as many schools in interior villages suffer teacher shortages, while others have an excess of them,” explained Felix.
Nevertheless, Felix assured teachers that the two committees will study individual cases on health and other grounds and stay transfer orders for “genuine reasons”, adding that all transfer orders will be kept in abeyance until the committees submit their reports.
ODISHA
Gram panchayats empowered
THE STATE government has proposed standing committees on education at the gram panchayat (village council) level to look into school education, health, and sanitation within their jurisdiction, a government spokesperson said in Bhubaneswar on October 16. Headed by sarpanches, the committees will be empowered to monitor teachers’ attendance, and will recommend action to be taken against absentee teachers by block development officers.
The committees will facilitate and monitor implementation of the annual plans of government schools, and provide necessary support. They will also meet at least once every quarter of the academic year for coordination with school management committees established under the RTE Act.
Uttarakhand
Taiwan’s helping hand
THE GOVERNMENT of the Republic of Taiwan has signed an agreement with the Uttarakhand state government under which the former will help the Uttarakhand government develop its food processing industry. Moreover, cultural and educational exchange programmes for higher education students will be initiated, a state government spokesperson said in Dehradun on October 14.
The agreement was signed by representatives of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre and Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat. Selected universities in Taiwan will work with universities in Uttarakhand.
Addressing the media, Chung Kwang Tien, who led the Taiwan delegation, called for greater business relations between Taiwan and Uttarakhand. “We can help Uttarakhand develop its food processing industry by providing technical assistance. In return, raw materials from here can be used in food processing units of Taiwan,” he said.
Himachal Pradesh
VET neglect warning
A RECENT inspection by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan officials in primary-secondary schools has revealed that vocational education trainers across the state are being given non-teaching assignments by school managements.
Addressing mediapersons in Shimla on October 19, SSA nodal officer Girija Chauhan said vocational education and training (VET) courses devised by the state’s education department, National Skill Development Corporation, and All India Council for Technical Education are languishing because in several schools, teachers direct VET trainers to undertake administrative work as they tend to be computer literate.
Therefore, in a directive to the managements of 200 senior secondary schools where VET programmes are mandatory, the state’s education department has warned against giving any non-teaching assignments to VET teachers. “We have directed the schools to adhere to the scheme’s provision and keep trainers free from other assignments,” says Shashi Bhushan Sekhri, director of the state’s higher education department.
Rajasthan
Vernacular pilot project
THE RAJASTHAN State Institute for Education Research and Training (SIERT) is set to launch a UNICEF-supported project on mother tongue- based learning to reduce the number of school dropouts, especially in tribal and remote areas.
Addressing a news conference in Udaipur on October 20, a government spokesperson said class I children will be given lessons in local dialects in ten schools each in the Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara districts under a pilot project. “Denying children education in their mother tongue can lead to intellectual damage which blocks the learning process in children. Research has shown children do better when taught in their mother tongue,” said Dr. Gayatri Tiwari, an expert in human behaviour and family relations and advisor to SIERT.
This point of view was endorsed by several other educationists. “Use of familiar language for instruction validates local culture and knowledge, creating a bridge between the formal school system and children’s home and community environments,” said Ambalal Paliwal, a retired principal.
Paromita Sengupta with bureau inputs