It appears that the officers of education department are determined to sabotage the State Government’s plan to improve quality of education in the Government schools of the State. In the latest case, which amounts to glaring dereliction of duty, alarming number of education officers of the State have failed to conduct even a single inspection of the schools under their jurisdiction in the month of November.
To improve quality of education, the education department has ordered that the divisional, district and block level education department officers would conduct a minimum number of five, ten and 15 inspection/ monitoring of schools under their control. While reviewing the report of November month, the Director General (DG) of school education, Captain Alok Shekhar Tiwari found that eight Chief Education Officers (CEO), nine District Education Officers (DEO)- secondary, three DEO- Primary, 74 Block Education Officers (BEO) and 62 Deputy Education Officers have conducted less number inspection of school than targeted. Interestingly the CEOs of Bageshwar, Nainital, Pithoragarh and Udham Singh Nagar are among the list of the officers who failed to visit even a single school in the month of November. Similarly the DEOs- secondary of Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, Tehri and Udham Singh Nagar districts also did not bothered to conduct even a single inspection during the month. Taking the example set up by their seniors, the BEOs of Dhauladevi, Dwarahat, Garud, Kapkot, Dasholi, Deval, Gairsain, Joshimath, Narayanbaggar, Champawat, Lohaghat, Pati, Khanpur, Luksar, Betalghat, Dhari, Ramnagar, Pauri, Thalisain, Vin, Dharchula, Didihat, Gangolihat, Munakot, Munsyari, Ukhimath, Devprayag, Kirtinagar, Gadarpur, Jaspur, Kashipur, Khatima, Sitarganj, Bhatwadi, Mori and Purola did not turn up to visit the schools to take note of the teaching standard.
Taking a serious note of the situation, the DG education has issued show cause notices to these 156 education officers. In a harsh note, the DG has asked as to why adverse entry should not be given to them in their Annual Confidential Report (CR) of 2017-18 considering insubordination and apathy towards Government work.
The incident reflects the state of affairs in the education department which has largest manpower among the government department. Alarmed with decreasing number of students in the government schools, the education department has taken steps like setting up of model schools, computer education and English teaching in the government schools. On the orders of the state education minister, the department has also directed the officers to undertake regular inspection and monitoring but the episode shows how lightly the department officers take these orders. Incidentally the decreasing student number is forcing the department to close 254 schools from next academic session.
“There is a tendency to blame teachers for the poor quality of education in the Govt schools but I believe that apathetic attitude and lack of leadership qualities in department officers is also responsible for the rut the school education is in,’’ said U S Gusain, a retired Govt school principal.