Dispur to follow Gujarat suit in school education

OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Feb 28: After Gunotsav the BJP-led government in Assam may follow another Gujarat model to bring about what it calls positive changes in the field of school education in the state.

Sources told The Sentinel that Dispur is contemplating on  following Gujarat model of magement information system using their school magement software (SMS). This software will help the state education department in tracking students’ performances, maximizing teachers’

efficiency and streamlining administration from headmaster level.

The state education department is currently busy in mobilizing all its resources to successfully conduct Gunotsav, an exercise wherein each and every primary school in the state will be evaluated and given grades. Gunotsav, to be organized next month, will see Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal, education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and all other top government officials, including the chief secretary, visiting different schools to assess and evaluate performance of students’ learning process.

Even though Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that successful conduct Gunotsav in the state would create a competitive environ in vercular schools resulting in better performance by students,  several teachers, students’ organizations and the opposition Congress are accusing Dispur of conducting such an important exercise without creating adequate and quality infrastructure and facilities in schools . They termed the move as a political one and an effort of the Sarbanda Sonowal government to appease rendra Modi.

Gunotsav is the brainchild of Prime Minister rendra Modi, who started the exercise in 2009 during his tenure as Gujarat CM. The 7th edition of Gunotsav began in Gujarat last month.

 The SMS was launched in elementary schools across Gujarat for use of ICT in school administration in 2015. The software has covered school level all information including basic details of school, student, teacher profile and other related information including student enrolled in school to School leaving certificates, scholarship sheets, progress reports, salary sheets of teachers, library magement, time table and content magement system, official sources said. An education department official said the department does not have adequate data about schools, enrollment, teachers profile and other relevant information.

Such a situation is responsible for failure on the part of Dispur to take long-term policy to bring about effective changes in school education. The scheme like SMS could be a solution to such a situation, he said. The education department will tie up with a renowned IT firm to implement the scheme.