Mindset toward govt.schools need to change: Ashokumar
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, November 02 2012:
Sarva Siksha Abhiyan's (SSA) State Project Director, N Ashokumar (IAS) said that orthodox mindset of the people about the quality of education imparted by government schools in the state need to be changed.
Speaking as Chief Guest of the 3-day long community mobilization training of school management committee (SMC) members of Sawombung block, Ashokumar said that the training intends to create awareness among the people and the members of the SMC about the quality of education being imparted in government schools.
However, most of the people in the state have a fallacy about the quality of education provided by government schools as substandard.
If we could remove such false impression, government schools can impart quality education.
Observing that some schools in Manipur lack facilities while others have enough, he noted that we (SMC members and concerned authorities) need to provide required aids to make the school an independent one and enable to impart quality education.
Highlighting the achievements and status of the Right to Education Act (RTE) in the state, resource person of the training session and Convenor of the Manipur Alliance for Child Rights, K Pradipkumar said that RTE could be successful only when SMC members at various block levels in Manipur work sincerely.
He also pointed out that 25% seat reservation for underprivileged students under the RTE has not yet been fully enforced in private schools in Manipur.
Guest of Honor of the function and D I of Schools of, ZEO, Zone II, S Tomba Singh observed that earlier the number of teachers in government schools out-numbered the enrolled students.
However, after introduction of free education under RTE, student enrolment in government schools has increased significantly.