By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 7: The Meghalaya Schools Welfare Development Association Central Body (MSWDA-CB) has come up with a five-point suggestion to streamline the education system in the state.
In a memorandum submitted to the Education Minister, Rakkam A Sangma, MSWDA-DB general secretary, DQ Kharbuli said the Director of School Education and Literacy (DSEL), Swapnil Tembe, highlighted the state government’s plan to streamline the education system by grouping multiple schools in one building or one compound.
He said Tembe revealed that this will be done to bring down the number of schools operating on the same premises or campus but functioning under different managements with separate UDISE codes.
Karbuli pointed out that multiple schools existing in one compound or one building should be counted as a single unit.
He advised the state government to classify the schools established by missionaries, or registered societies, or private organisations into aided and partially aided non-government institutions according to the Meghalaya State Education Policy, 2018.
He said the association requested the government to have a uniform system for grant-in-aid to avoid any confrontation with the teachers by implementing a salary structure as done for the deficit pattern, i.e., pay scale (matrix), which includes basic pay with DA only.
The MSWDA-DB general secretary sought financial support for secondary schools, especially those that have obtained permission.
He lamented that the government has, from time to time, rejected proposals from the DSEL and Education Department for secondary schools eligible for grant-in-aid.
Kharbuli asked the government to upgrade the deserving upper primary schools or set up new secondary schools more than 5 km from existing schools, as laid down in MSEP 2018 for the rural areas.
He pointed out that most of the pre-primary schools are attached to the primary schools, and the classes in lower-primary have been extended to Class V.
He said the NEP 2020 has restructured pre-primary and primary schools to the foundational stage (5 years). He observed that this stage covers children aged 3-8 years, with three years for preschool and two for primary school (grades 1-2).
The three-year preparatory stage for children aged 8-11 years covers grades 3-5.
Kharbuli, however, said the number of teachers supported by the government has remained the same. Referring to the RTE Act of 2009, he said the parent-teacher ratio should be 30:1 for primary schools with more than 150 children, which translates into five teachers and one head teacher.
He said quality education in semi-urban and rural areas with adequate and trained teachers will fulfil the objective of education in the state in letter and spirit.
“Many teachers in our state are still untrained. For quality education, a teacher is not only a pillar but also a fundamental requirement. Many teachers are yet to be trained through their in-service programme (BEd/DElEd, etc.),” Kharbuli said.
The MSWDA-DB general secretary requested the state government to extend special provisions to ensure the teachers fulfil the NCTE norms as well as government policies.
Kharbuli said the meeting of the association was held on March 29 at Mawkhar’s Khasi National Durbar Hall to discuss students’ uniform grant and school grant/maintenance as implemented in the government and SSA schools.
Given the above, he said the association requested the government to provide grants to all categories of school – ad hoc, private, aided, and unaided – for the welfare of the students.
Maintaining that the association and various School Managing Committees are deeply concerned about the plight of the schools, he said the government should consider similar grants for the maintenance of schools and school uniforms, etc., for the state’s unaided schools.