School Education Minister laments shortage of math teachers in state
Our Correspondent
Kohima | April 12
Minister for school education, Yitachu on Wednesday exposed a disturbing revelation on the appointment of math teachers in the education department—he said many of the math teachers appointed by the department are “Arts graduates.”
Addressing a one-day conference-cum- interactive session for DEOs/DDEOs/SDEOs/JEOs/Deputy Directors/Assistant Directors at the Capital Convention Centre, Kohima, the School Education Minister said many vacancies of math teachers have been filled up by arts graduates “either by manipulation or wrong information or at our own will.”
While expressing concern on the huge shortage of math teachers in the state, Yitachu however termed the appointment of arts graduate to be math teachers as injustice to the future. “This, we have not done justice. We have not done good things for our future,” he rued while adding, “We have planted destructive mechanism in our society.” In this connection, the Education Minister said time has come to take a corrective measure.
He directed the concerned officers to give information on the number of shortage regarding math and science teachers in their respective areas and also find out whether the post is lying vacant or being occupied by arts graduates.
He also asked the officers to give correct information so that corrective replacement is taken up. In the meantime, Yitachu was also appreciative that as high as 97% of science students are opting for math and termed this as a positive development in the state.
No further up-gradation of schools
The School Education Minister also said he does not want any further up-gradation of schools in the state except establishing new schools in new settlements, depending on availability of enrollment.
“We should open schools to give education to our citizens. However, we want to open schools, we want to upgrade schools only to give employment in the village or in that particular location. That mindset has to be removed,” Yitachu observed.
If responsible administrative officers have such mindset of recommending a school to be established or upgraded so the locality would get more employment, then you are a miserable failure and it would only curse the society, he pointed out.
HSCL exam centre in all ADC HQs
The Minister also shared his plan to open HSLC exam centres in all the ADC headquarters in the state. He felt that this would solve the burden of students who have to travel 40 to 50 kms to appear exams in the nearest exam centres.
He also said the department has taken the decision to bring down DDOs. The department presently owns 115 DDOs.
School education dept to clean up inflated data: Solo
The state’s department of school education has decided to clean up the inflated data within the department.
“In the past the state government including our department used to project inflated figures and data so as to get maximum benefits under different schemes of the Government of India. But under the leadership of Minister for School Education, Yitachu, we have decided to clean up the inflated data,” said FP Solo, Principal Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Department of School Education.
Be more honest and accurate in the collection and projection of our data, he advised the officers during the one-day conference-cum- interactive session for DEOs/DDEOs/SDEOs/JEOs/Deputy Directors/Assistant Directors at the Capital Convention Centre.
Also stating that the department had carried out extensive rationalization exercise, Solo asked the DEOs, DDEOs and SDEOs to come up with accurate data and figures. He regretted that the latest UDISE data “reflects something different.”
“It appears that some DEOs, DDEOs and SDEOS were not truthful enough during the rationalization exercise,” Solo said. He said the department would be collecting data from different sources including GIS mapping.
“We will be comparing and verifying those data and action will be taken against those who furnish false information,” he warned.
“We cannot keep on fooling ourselves and others with false data,” he said adding: “we should come out clean sooner than later.”
