Intellectuals and teachers’ organisations on Tuesday urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to appoint an experienced teacher as Director of Higher Education and not to bureaucratise the education system of the State.
“At a moment when the State’s entire educational system is passing through serious strain and stress, the Government’s decision to alienate educationist by appointing an officer from IAS cadre as Director Higher Education is very disappointing. It contravenes all norms, tradition and existing rules,” alleged Odisha Government College Retired Teachers’ Association in a statement.
It said, in 1990 during the Biju Pattnaik’s chief ministership, necessary rules were framed to appoint senior most persons from Government college cadre as Director, Higher Education. But today, no Directorate connected with education and research is being headed by an educationist, lamented president Dr KP Mahaptra.
The exclusion of academician from the main stream of educational administration and policy making will definitely have its disastrous impact on the education sector in the long. In the wake of the World Teaches’ Day to be celebrated on 5, we request you to realize the gravity of the situation and in the interest of the State’s education sector and inclusive intellectual development and appoint Director,
Higher Education from among Government college teachers with due regard to seniority and merit,” urged the organinsaiton.
A joint action council was constituted led by Mohapatra to devise methods of democratic protest. Veteran teacher leaders like Prof Md Fakiruddin, Amulya Kumar Panda, Manas Behera, Pabitra Mahala and Golakh Nayak are the members. On October 22, a State-level convention of teachers’ organisations, acdemicians and members of Civil Society will be held at Bhubaneswar to decide the future course of action, said the statement.