NLA Panel asks for status report by April 15
Moa Jamir
Dimapur | March 17
The Department of School Education (DoSE) received bunches of bouquets as well as a huge pile of brickbats from the Public Account Committee (PAC) 2020-2021 of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly in its recent report.
The Committee while appreciating, among others, DoSE’s effort on pre-school education, detachment of teachers and rationalisation efforts, also faulted the Department for its failure to ensure reservation norms mandated by Right to Education Act 2009; school mapping and identification of school going and out of school children; low enrollment and results and so on.
The PAC headed by Advisor K Tokugha Sukhalu examined the audit findings of the Comptroller & Auditor General (CAG) of India ‘Audit Report on Social, Economic, Revenue and General Sectors’ for the year 2015-2016.
The CAG Report, tabled in the NLA on March 28, 2017, was first taken up by the PAC (2019-2020) which held oral evidence with Departmental representatives from August 20-22, 2019.
The current PAC (2020-2021), constituted on February 15, 2020, considered the same and adopted the 124th Report on December 20, 2020 and presented it to the NLA on February 15, 2021.
‘Appreciable’ initiatives
While the CAG had then highlighted that none of the 90 sample schools in 3 districts prepared School Development Plans (SDPs) and some Village Education Committee (VEC) were totally unaware of such plans, the Department in a written reply to the Committee stated that the DoSE has developed a format on SDPS.
During oral evidence, the Department also informed that it has already provided a format on SDP to schools and school in-charge, teaching faculty and VEC. While appreciating the development of the SDP format, the Committee recommended for a strategy to carry out preparation of SDPS consistently and an update on all activities undertaken under the plans since 2017.
The PAC also lauded the DoSE’s effort in providing pre-primary education in all schools as per the latter’s submission. During the oral evidence, it was informed that the pre-schooling started with the Department’s initiatives and Nagaland was first among others states to upload data on implementation of NGOs partnership in Education and commended by the Union Government.
Lauding the effort taken so far, the PAC further recommend the DoSE to produce all the “records of their achievements and latest initiatives” to the Committee within two months.
The Committee also appreciated the rationalisation of teachers through redeployment while examining the pupil-teacher ratio. The DoSE informed during two-phase rationalisation process so far, 1603 teachers were redeployed; 332 schools merged; 40 GMS downgraded and 21 GPS were closed down; To this end, the PAC also recommended the Department to update on third phase of rationalisation within two months.
The Committee also commended the DoSE’s effort in detaching teachers from non-teaching purposes after it was informed that 533 teachers who were attached to the offices of directorate of School education, DEOs and SDEOS to were reverted to their original post of posting while more than 50 attached with VVIPS were sent back to their respective schools and 50 were in court.
Further advising the DoSE not to encourage such attachments in future, the PAC asked for a report on reason behind engagement of private teachers in 90 sample schools in two months.
The Committee lauded the DoSE for introduction of training of counselling teachers.
Key failures
It was not all bouquets for the DoSE, though. Several shortcomings were observed and the PAC came down heavily on Department on many issues.
Chief among them was the implementation of 25% reservation for weaker and disadvantaged children as stipulated by the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 and upheld by a constitutional bench of Supreme Court in 2012. It mandated, in particular, a minimum 25% free seat for the aforesaid group in all private un-aided primary schools.
The CAG report then noted that while provisions were made for such reservation, there were no specific provisions in the State Rule regarding such reservation apart from reimbursement of expenditure.
While the Department’s executive committee had approved the process and notified the same on November 24, 2016, the DoSE admitted in the oral evidence that specific provisions with regard to 25% reservation (Section 12 - 1 of the RTE Act) were not framed. However, a notification citing the provision was issued after the matter was raised by the CAG Audit, it added.
In its observation, the PAC cautioned the DoSE for “not acting with due sense of responsibility towards an important judgment made by the Supreme Court” adding that the provision should be “mandatory as more than 50% of eligible children are enrolled in private schools.”
On being informed that private schools are not complying with directives issued by government via a notification, the PAC recommended the DoSE to “take suitable steps to ensure that all private schools adhere to the reservation norms.”
Noting that teachers were “compelled to collect fees amounting to Rs 30.03 lakh from children” violating relevant RTE Act due to non-release of funds, the PAC also recommended the Department to submit a detailed report for the non-release of school grants during 2013-16 along with latest report on trend of release of school grants.
Unhappy with the declining percentage of enrollment as well as low performances of students in Government Schools, the PAC recommended the Department to check the anomaly and address it.
Meanwhile, observing that special training for out of school children (OoSC) was not implemented from 2014-15 to 2016-17, the PAC hoped for a “concerted effort” to carry out such activities. It also demanded a compliance report on steps taken by the DoSE to collect date on OoSC.
The PAC also expressed its ‘dismay’ over the “inordinate delay” in completion of new school buildings approved by GoI during the period from 2010-16, and demanded a report on status and progress of other schools building with a completion certificate.
It also observed inconsistency by the SCERT in conducting Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and asked the DoSE to furnish a report on whether such test would be conducted in future.
Recommending “sincere efforts” to train all teachers expeditiously by the Department as well as checking their qualifications before employment, the PAC also demanded an action taken report.
The PAC also asked the Department to ensure timely distribution of books, provision of “good quality stitched uniforms,” and setting up an effective monitoring system “so as to ensure that "all due benefits are received by school children.”
“A detailed report on revision of rates of uniform and books along with facts and figures and explanation to the matter should be submitted to the Committee,” it added.
The Committee also observed “lack of sound management and monitoring system in the DoSE, despite the Government constituting a Governing Body and State Advisory Committee for the purpose of monitoring and to advice the Government on the implementation of RTE Act.”
Stating that the impact of these bodies could not be assessed due non-provision of their meetings and minutes, the PAC also recommended the Department to furnish details of SAC and update on the teachers’ performances and survey of school children.
The status, compliance and action taken reports are to be furnished to the PAC by April 15, i.e. within 2 months from the date of presentation of the report the NLA.
