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| Education: Celebrations over, look at ‘weak’ points | | | Daya Sagar
Jammu and Kashmir too has observed November 11 , the birthday of Maullana Abdul Kalam Azad, the first Education Minister in free India , as National Education Day like other Indian States. Under the conditions prevailing for a socialist democratic country like India there was no scope to celebrate this day, rather this day should have been observed as the day for introspection for the “weaks” of our public education infrastructure that has miserably failed to deliver to the absolute majority of the Indian people who depend upon government schools for the secondary education that could only open doors for careers in higher basic/ professional education as well as placement at superior administrative and management levels ; and even make the benefit of the reservation kept for the SC/ST/OBC in higher education institution and superior government / gazetted services.
A firm public opinion is set this day that of all the public sector enterprises that matter the most for progress of the people of India , the most socially abused is the Government School Education infrastructure particularly when we look at meeting the needs of the rural, backward, and tribes. To quote in J&K the Gaddies Bakerwals and nomad Gujjars are educationally most backward even after 60 years of independence since if atall they could receive any thing through the government schools it was only literacy and not education worth entering in the competitive mainstream.
No other proof or evidence is needed in support of my inference that the level of quality education in government schools is poorest of the poor than the fact that hardly any Commissioner Education, Director Education, Deputy Director Education, Principal of a school , lecturer of a college , professor or Dy Commissioner sends his children to a government school. Some feel it below dignity though they they always clamour for release of new dearness allowance installments out of a deficit FISC claiming to be “poor employees”.
Reports have often appeared that the J&K Government is disturbed with the dismal show of performance by large number of Government Secondary Schools. The Directorate of School Education Jammu / Kashmir have been even boasting of having issued directions to all the Chief Education Officers (CEOs) to identify schools that have less than 50 per cent pass results in 12th and 10th class as well as prepare a subject wise list of non performing teachers. In June 08 Director School Education Jammu had opined that increment of non-performing teachers will be stopped to do away with their mind-set that even in case of poor performance by the students they would not face any action . Agitated with the reported action by Government The JK United Teachers Federation (JKUTF) Jammu had questioned ( condemned ) the Director School Education for constituting a team to pin-point only the non-performer teachers. Contesting the views of Director Education ,addressing a press conference on 3 June 08 , Mr. Satish Sharma, State President of the Forum had rather held Director School Education Jammu responsible for the dismal performance of Government School students alleging that the responsibility of such a low performance is due to poor administration by Director School Education who instead of accepting his fault was trying to shift the blame on teachers and in case annual increment of non- performing teachers has to be stopped then the same should also be done with high ups in administration including Directors. JKUTF had suggested that the fault lied in authorities who have failed to provide subject teachers in most of the Government schools, text books on time, unnecessary attachment of some favourite teachers /masters / even gazette teachers in cities , allowing teaching practice by B.Ed students in Government that affects studies of students and the like . the allegations did suggest need for introspection at higher levels. But one thing is sure that it is the bad management at the higher levels that is responsible for loss to 75% people of J&K..
Earlier also on 3 June 2006 it was reported with the reference of Mr. Manoj Kumar Dwivedi the then Director school education Jammu that by fixing responsibility for the poor SS / SSS examination results, Education Department, on the instructions of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, had withheld the increment of 245 heads of Government schools in Jammu division where the pass percentage was below 20 in the last class 10th and 12th results or which registered above 50 percent decrease over the previous year’s performance . Setting so low norms for taking action itself speaks of the worst state of affairs. Dainik Jagran , the most read Hindi daily news paper of India has done much more of investigation on the subject covering the school buildings, the pupils in government schools, the status of the school teachers on roll and as present, the problems of school teachers, the mushrooming private schools even in the villages, parents showing more faith in private schools , the poor performance of government schools , neglect of government schools by administration. It was reported in February 2008 that even in the Ramgarh Zone about 50 schools had no boundary and out of 150 post of teachers 92 were vacant. The Zone had around 80 Government Schools with 8000 students and 32 private schools with over 20000 students. RS PURA Zone has 96 Government schools and 269 posts teachers ( 92 Posts of masters vacant of 126 in 3/2008. It was reported in media that Ex teacher Harbans Lal had opined that it is wrong to simply hold teachers responsible for the bad performance of government schools. Social activists Suresh Kumar is of the opinion that children of poor people have to come only to government schools and even they do not prefer government schools ; Ministers and officers also do not use these schools. A villager Kewal Krishan suggests that if government make a law that leaders and bureaucrats should send their wards to government it will bring revolution in education sector.
Those who reason that the government schools suffer due to lack of funds and poorly paid teachers are looking through dark glasses. Even if the management levels are improved by 30 % the funds being spent as on date would yield 60% more than what they are yielding today. I have been writing on the subject since 1992. Had the fault been with one or two schools the issue could be settled with the routine type of enquiries at the level of Directorate of school education. The problem is with over majority ( may be over 90%) of schools . So only the school teacher can not be so simply blamed. After observing the issues seriously over a period I submitted a memorandum dated 23-03-2005 in person on 29-03-2005 on behalf of J&K Confederation of Voluntary Social & Charitable Organisations to the then Minister for Education Harsh Dev Singh . May be 8 months time from March to Nov2005 was too less for him to go through my note and even acknowledge the same. I had again submitted a copy on 20-11-2005 of the same under registered post to Ghulam Nabi, J&K Chief Minister who was incharge of Education department then but he too even did not acknowledge. This confirmed my belief that no one is moved with the miseries of the poor and backward people of India though they for over 75% to 80% of the vote bank that makes the governments.
With the present status of the Government Schools and the level of confidence of parents the Government Schools enjoy, we have not stood to the directive principles as laid down in Section 20(a) of Constitution of Jammu & Kashmir to secure to every permanent resident of Jammu & Kashmir the right to free education upto the University standard ; and to all children and youth equal opportunities in education and employment, protection against exploitation and against moral or material abandonment as laid down in Section 21(b).
A school teacher even for primary classes in government schools is paid Rs.8000 to Rs.7000 per month along with total social security and that in private schools is paid unbelievably much less ( some where even less than Rs.1000 ). Majority of Government school teachers are highly qualified than private school teachers. But still parents send children to the private schools . It clearly shows that the Private School Management bodies are more efficient since they appear to deliver better quality output with lesser resources in hand. Are not then wages being paid to even those employed the Directorates of Education/ Administrative Secretariats going waste?. The culture of private tuitions is growing . It is alleged that even the government school teachers run private tutorials where as government employee they can not.
It is also an otherwise fact that as on date the Government school buildings , Government school students and Government school teachers are badly neglected. A survey by any expert team even of a school like Sri Ranbir Higher secondary School Jammu on building/ fitments would speak a lot what to talk of other schools in remote areas. This school has in the past given cream of administrators / educationist/ engineers/ doctors.
We can not afford to go with out government schools simply for the reason that we have not been able to manage since than 80% of our population depends on the government schools. Now the need is more for questioning the levels that head the infrastructure and have so far failed to deliver as a Manager. Under the conditions as prevailing it will not be of much use to only stop the increments of teacher grade/ master grade teachers. Inefficiency levels have grown so large that times demand performance evaluation of even at highest levels, it could be Director School Education , Commissioner School Education.
(i) Had the children of senior officers and legislators been studying in government schools the short falls and misuse of money would have been fed back to their children .(II) Government never appears as a system to have questioned any Director of Education or Commissioner of education for the growing poor performance of the school education system .(iii) There is utmost need to review the infrastructure, particularly from top through a High Level Committee to Examine what is the economic and social level of the children reading in the government schools ,Examine how many IAS officer in J&K send their children to government schools, particularly direct recruits?, draw a list of Commissioners, Secretaries, Additional secretaries, Directors, Deputy Directors of Education who have sent their children to government schools ( upto high school) over last 20 years ( since the list may not cover even one page if it is made for 10 years (in case the list really dwarf, then should we punish the small school teacher only?),how many Directors of education in J&K or Secretaries to government have been held back in promotions or release of increments over last 10 years for poor performance of their Department ?,examine the tour diaries of superior officers of Education department of last 10 years to find out how many days they have spent for inspection of schools in rural areas like Gool, Mahore, Kishtwar, Plesa, Reasi, Basoli, Bani, Zanskar , Kupwara.
As immediate short term corrective measure ,unless poor performance is noted , a Director School Education/ Commissioner Education should not be transferred before a tenure of two years. It should be made as part of service conditions of atleast those in Education Department to send their children to government schools. In case general service people have any objection, the levels of Director and Commissioner Secretary Education could be left to educationists only since British times have gone and we do not need that type of civil services to run the writ of the government of pre 1947 days.
Author is a dispassionate observer of J&K affairs and a widely published columnist. Feedback at
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