State edu minister questions fate of para teachers under NEP

Ranchi: State education minister Jagarnath Mahto on Tuesday said the Jharkhand government needs to review some provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP), passed by the Union cabinet recently, before its implementation in the state.
Mahto said, “NEP needs to be discussed thoroughly by the state cabinet along with leading experts and academicians before its implementation. Certain provisions, including those related to permanently stopping the services of para teachers, appointed under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan by 2022, need to be deliberated thoroughly.”
The minister also questioned the fate of the thousands of para teachers and how the schools will run without them. He said Jharkhand will request the Centre to continue providing funds to the para teachers till the state regularizes their services in the education department. The remunerations of the para teachers are shared by the Centre and the state in the 60:30 ratio.
Mahto further said the provision under NEP to provide quality education to children at aganwadi centres, which do not have adequate teachers at present, would be hard to implement.
Terming his statements on NEP as suggestions for betterment of Jharkhand’s people and their education, the minister said the policy should not be mere eyewash.