Decentralisation of the education system with greater focus on local community involvement is an important step in tackling corruption by strengthening accountability, said panelists at a workshop on “Improving governance in elementary education”, organised by the Transparency International India (TII) here on Saturday.
The speakers included representatives from the Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), Government, civil society and School Management Committees, The workshop was attended by schoolteachers, PTA representatives, NGOs and media.
The Transparency International`s Global Corruption Report 2013 (GCR) was released in India on the occasion and the salient points from the report were shared with the audience by TII Executive Director Anupama Jha. This report aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the current context in which corruption in the education sector is situated.
OSCPCR member Dr Sruti Mohapatra regretted that teachers are more involved in nonacademic activities than academic. State Advisor for PRATHAM Dhanada Mishra said that while the education budget under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan on salaries of teachers is reducing progressively, the expenditure on school infrastructure is increasing. The budgetary allocation on education and outcomes of education is inversely related.
Assistant Director (Planning), Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) Dipak Ray said a robust grievance redressal mechanism is in place to address grievances of citizens in the area of education. All Odisha DAV School Parents’ Association secretary Aptakama Mishra expressed concern at the lack of a uniform curriculum in school education. He also took a dig at the private school education saying that a study has proved that a majority of students attending coaching classes are private school-educated.
Summing up the discussions, TII Board Member Dr Biswajit Mohanty said political will is crucial to improving transparency and accountability in elementary education. The meeting was presided over by TII-Odisha Chapter Chairman Dr Bimalendu Mohanty and attended by TII-Odisha Secretary RB Patnaik and eminent linguist Dr Debi Prassana Patnaik.