Aiming at providing quality education in primary sector, the Punjab Government on Sunday reached out at the grass-root level to assess problems, grievances of the primary school teachers and have a suggestive feedback.
For the purpose, the state Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema had one-to-one interaction with approximately 300 BPEO’s (Block Primary Education Officers), CHT’s (Centre Head Teachers) and HT’s (Head Teachers) of Mohali District.
An interactive session was held wherein the representative groups shared their issues related to arduous syllabus, demand for furniture, promotions, proper grounds to conduct sports activities, lack of clerical staff, extra-works, Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyaan grants and other administrative issues.
The four-hour long marathon programme gave a clairvoyance of the working conditions of primary schools in the district. Emphasis was laid on early childhood care and education imparted by anganwaris. The faculty members felt that nursery classes and kindergarten classes are the foundation for imparting education. They maintained that preferential importance is given to private schools by parents as the Government schools do not cater to this group.
Education Minister assured the audience that he would take up this issue with the concerned department. Speaking on the issue of difficult syllabus, Cheema desired that any one from amongst the invitees should voluntarily take the responsibility of jotting down the points of the syllabi which needs to be addressed. Only then can a joint meeting be arranged with the academic council of PSEB and SCERT to find a passable solution, he said.
Cheema asked the higher officials to do promotions of concerned cadre within the committed stipulated time and report. On the issue of maintenance of appropriate sports grounds in primary schools, he gave an assurance that necessary instructions will be floated on website and the details (size) and designs of particular sports grounds would be made available to all primary schools in near future.
Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2014, was also discussed in the meeting. Assemblage of faculty members differed on the ASER 2014. They were of the view that since ASER captured the statistics of Government and private schools limited to a small sample, the results cannot be generalised.
Education Minister gave directions to DPI (elementary education) to make a committee from amongst the audience and get 20 schools randomly surveyed by the committee on the same parameters as defined by ASER to get a valid report. All activities under SSA scheme like free text books, uniforms, maintenance grant, repair grant, civil works, teacher training were also discussed.