Headmasters missing in primary schools

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, April 11: Despite the Tarun Gogoi government's claim of rapid progress in the field of education, the reality on the ground is different. Many problems arising due to lack of concrete policies of the Education department are now dogging primary to higher education in the State.

The situation is especially bad in the primary education sector as is evident from the fact that about 43,000 primary schools across the State do not have permanent headmasters, some for years altogether.

Although an assistant teacher of a primary school is entitled to discharge the duties and responsibilities of the headmaster as ‘in-charge’ on the basis of a verbal order issued by the Education department way back in 1975, successive governments have not taken any initiatives to change this unhealthy trend.

“In these primary schools, the assistant teacher uses the headmaster’s seal for official works and school-related fincial transactions. The assistant teacher even operates the school’s bank account opened in the me of the headmaster. The Education department has known about this ongoing uuthorized practice in primary schools since 1975, but hasn’t taken any steps to check this practice,” sources rued.

On this issue, the Assam State Primary Teachers Association (ASPTA) held discussions with the Education department 33 times but nothing concrete materialized. Recently, a delegation of the ASPTA met Education minister Sarat Borkotoky to discuss the same issue and the minister assured that the problem will be solved.

On the other hand, hundreds of primary schools in the State do not have sufficient number of students while some schools do not have a single student. “In Sivasagar district, there are about 37 schools which do not have students and the Education department has ordered their closure,” sources said, adding, “The department concerned is now preparing a list of primary schools which do not have a single student.”

Sources said, “Interestingly, many such primary schools, which don’t have students, have teachers on the government’s payroll.”

Don’t all these reveal the callousness of the State Education Department?