Key primary education posts remain vacant

Directorate of Elementary Education running headless

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, April 5: At a time when the Tarun Gogoi government trumpets that Assam has made significant progress in the educatiol sector, primary education in the State is in shambles.

Many posts in the Directorate of Elementary Education, Assam office at Kahilipara here are currently lying vacant. “49 posts of officers and general staff are now lying vacant in the office of the Directorate of Elementary Education,” sources said.

Interestingly, there is no permanent director in the Directorate of Elementary Education and an official in-charge is discharging the director’s onerous responsibilities.

In different districts of the State, excluding the BTAD, 128 posts of sub-inspectors out of total 274 posts in the Education department are currently lying vacant. These sub-inspectors are responsible for inspecting the academic condition and infrastructure of schools.

Sources said that 50 posts of block elementary education officers and one post of district elementary education officer are lying vacant.

Sources also said that the State government has repeatedly turned a deaf ear to proposals submitted on many occasions in the past by the Education department to fill the vacant posts.

At a time when the Right to Education (RTE) Act is being implemented in earnest by other states with education being a fundamental right, the Tarun Gogoi government’s utter lack of seriousness in properly manning its primary education apparatus — speaks volumes about its overall commitment to education.