In a stern message to State teachers who play truant with their duties, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has asked the Education Department officials to sack all such teachers who are habitual shirkers of duties.
He has also directed the officials to expedite the process of appointment of the guest teachers at the block-level across the State.
Reviewing the progress of developmental works in Nainital on Wednesday night, Chief Minister sounded disappointed over the state of things in the education sector. He was particularly perturbed over the fast dwindling academic standards in the State-run educational institutions. He exhorted the officials to give full efforts to ensure the standards look up in such institutions.
Mention worthy, under its educational reform programme, the State Government has decided to open Rajiv Gandhi Abhinav School in each block of the State in next two years to provide quality education to children even in remote and rural areas.
Under this plan, all these Rajiv Gandhi Abhinav Schools would be equipped with residential accommodation facilities so that children even belonging to the remote and less privileged areas could also get quality education and prepare themselves according to the changing educational environment.
However, things are not looking good when viewed from the ground.
Along with education, basic services, including drinking water, electricity, roads, figured prominently in the late night review meeting that the CM presided over in Nainital on Wednesday.
Emphasising on the need to improve the basic services on priority basis, Rawat expressed concern over non-availability of seeds of maize crop to the farmers in the region. The officials must conduct filed visits to solve the grievances of the farmers, maintained the Chief Minister.
Rawat also expressed his disappointment over ‘poor style of functioning’ of the State Horticulture department, stating that farmers engaged in this sector had no access to the latest farm technology and seeds. In the absence of proper guidance and assistance, they had not been able to optimise their potential, CM said, while asking the officials to extend all the possible assistance to the farmers and to develop nurseries at village level.
He also asked them to provide marketing facility to the farmers so that they could dispose off their produce and get better returns.