For the first time in its history, Agartala will play host to education ministers of all 8 North Eastern (NE) states who will meet to discuss the country's proposed education policy, a meeting will be presided over by Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani.
Earlier, Tripura Education Minister Tapan Chakraborty, on behalf of all the eight North Eastern states had demanded the withdrawal of the 'no-detention policy' at the elementary school level up to class VIII, at the 63rd meeting of the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE) held in New Delhi on August 24, 2015.
He also raised the concern that the region along with most states of the country, are not only against the 'no-detention policy' but are also in an awkward position due to the lack of trained teachers even though the Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009 had made this mandatory.
There is no doubt that the students from the North Eastern region have general knowledge about the nation, whereas the so-called mainstream states are totally ignorant about the region and its geography, composition and people. However, in view of political interests, the vacancy in the educational institutions in the region too has become an opportunity to breed vote banks, resulting to political appointees in defiance of all prescribe norms which has in turn diluted the very concept of these institutions being Temples of Knowledge.
It is time for the citizens to realize the power of education and they should not be turned into a political field to fulfill individual aspiration for power. In Meghalaya, a Right to Information sought by a social activist from Tura Maxbirth G Momin found that about a hundred schools in just 3 blocks of West Garo Hills in the Tura Division are having only one teacher for the entire primary section. The RTI revealed that 20 schools in the Gambegre block, 33 in the Dalu block, and 40 in the Rongram block to have only one teacher each for the primary section. These include both the deficit as well as government LP schools even as these schools cater to more than 2000 students in various classes. This is in spite of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009, prescribing that the Pupil Teacher Ratio (PTR) to be maintained at school level is at 30:1 and 35:1 at primary and upper primary level, respectively.
An additional agenda to this meet will be to demand the bifurcation of the Education and Human Resource Development departments in order to tap the talent in the region in general and Meghalaya in particular.
The burning issue of foundation of human resources at the elementary level in the schools has been affected in the country after the said policy was implemented. It is strange that Meghalaya, once considered as the Educational Hub of the region, is silent on the issue.
It is not that there is an absence of qualified teachers for the primary section. The infamous white-ink scam unearthed by none other than the premier intelligence agency the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), regarding the appointment of the teachers, had also questioned all the officials allegedly involved and found that 'the process suffered from arbitrariness, perversity and irregularities and was indefensible'. While the education department had appointed 350 people as successful candidates in the selection process, 255 were those whose names were recommended by the politicians, it was found.
The education quality has also deteriorated and can be determined by the fact that the recent trend of schools giving project work outside the syllabus in pursuit of 'a modern education system' is all the rage where it is seen that class one students are made to name all the members of Union Government, class three students are made to name the parasites on the human body and class five students are made to name the causes of all diseases.
Under such circumstances, how does one expect to produce employable youths in the state?
Source: Meghalaya Times