Rise in salary by 25% including residence near the school suggested by Uttarakhand Migration Commission in its report given to state government, No teacher in 1149 schools
SUNIL NEGI/ AASTHA NEGI
Uttarakhand, despite being an educational hub for the elite , rich and ultra rich having highly standardized convent and public schools like Doon , Sherwood and hundreds of other institutions where Rajiv, Rahul Gandhi and Amitabh Bachchan, Suman Dubey etc studied, the condition of primary schools in the interior rural Uttarakhand is extremely pitiable with not only primary and middle schools decreasing day by day due to mass exodus to towns, cities, state capital and metropolises but also because of the apathy of the powers that be ruling here from time to time, but ofcourse presently the BJP led government since the last seven years.
According to the latest statistics of the Rural ( Villages) Development and Migration Redressal Commission of Uttarakhand there needs to be made tremendous efforts and credible initiatives taken by the government to improve the condition of the primary and middle schools of Uttarakhand.
The above commission has submitted for the very first time a survey report to the state government in order to improve and enhance the standard of education in the primary and middle schools of entire Uttarakhand which is badly jeopardizing.
The Rural Development and Migration Redressal Commission has in its survey report expressed its tremendous worries over the adversely deteriorating conditions of the primary and middle schools, the deterioration in the schools standards , lack of teachers and subsequently decreasing the number of students in these schools.
According to the survey report – in 1149 primary schools , though the figure may even go higher, there are no teachers at all.
In Champawat and Rudraprayag schools, the number of students is nearly negligible.
According to S.S.Negi, the Vice chairman of the Uttarakhand Migration Commission the survey report consisting of 204 pages in Hindi submitted for the first time to the state government unambiguously states that there is lot of gap between the number of teachers and students in the primary and middle schools of Uttarakhand meaning that compared to the number of students either the teachers aren’t available or are in negligible numbers which results in the already degrading school standards further going down leading to schools becoming student less.
According to the report, in the entire state of Uttarakhand, there are 12065 primary schools and out of these, in fifty percent of the schools, there are no principals or headmasters.
The main reason cited in the report for the decreasing number of students is the non availability of teachers in majority of the schools.
The report states that in 263 Primary to middle schools there are no teachers for teaching the students thus adversely impacting the studies of the students.
According to the report, in 180 primary and upper primary schools about 242 teachers are imparting education to one student in each class in Uttarakhand.
Sounds shocking.
Majority of such schools are in Pauri, Almora and Tehri Garhwal districts of Uttarakhand.
Not only this but in 3504 schools of Uttarakhand there are only single teacher in each school for every class.
Majority of such schools are in Pauri, Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts of Uttarakhand’s Kumaon and Garhwal divisions.
In addition to this, in 8324 classes of Primary and Middle Schools there are instances of only one students in every class.
In view of the above facts the Uttarakhand’s Migration Commission has in its survey report accorded advise to the state government to give special concessions to students of primary schools of Uttarakhand while seeking admission in higher classes for pursuing their education further.
A new credible policy of transfer should be formulated for teachers availability in the schools in rural Uttarakhand. There should be a mandatory condition for such teachers to live withing the distance of 8 to 10 kilometres from the school and they should be given rise in their salary to the tune of 25% to encourage them avail posting in the interior schools in the rural Uttarakhand. The new teachers being appointed in the primary and middle schools in Rural Uttarakhand should be given special training, residential facility near the schools, keeping teachers away from the duties other than teaching and providing the schools with proper desks, furnitures, walls, and renovation including a good playground and adequate medical facilities etc for teachers and students says the Survey Report.
In view of the expeditious decreasing of the numbers of students in primary schools from class one to fifth and non availability of teachers etc the Migration Commission has submitted a credible report to improve the conditions of the primary and middle schools of Uttarakhand and also giving the teachers rise in salary by 25% including adequate facilities that also included residential accommodation near the schools precincts as well.
