ITANAGAR, Sep 2: The All Papum Pare District Students’ Union (APPDSU) has demanded that the state government reconsider the recent cabinet decision to close down all primary schools with zero enrolment.
The union suggested that the government instead adopt a policy to encourage registered NGOs of the state, and even NGOs from other states, to run the schools which are listed in the non-functional category.
The APPDSU also alleged that the education secretary provided wrong information to the state government that the department was facing shortage of teachers due to posting of teachers at non-functional/zero enrolment government primary and secondary schools. It claimed that it was because of the incorrect information that the state cabinet took the decision to close down all the government primary and secondary schools with zero enrolment.
“There is no report of zero enrolment in the secondary schools of Arunachal Pradesh till date. Further, no DDSE has posted any teacher at the schools which were listed among the non-functional or zero-enrolment schools. The secretary education and the state government should disclose the report in public, with full details of how many teachers were posted against non-functional/zero enrolment schools by the DDSEs or the elementary education & secondary education directorate,” the APPDSU demanded.
It also condemned the education department and the state government for “deliberately neglecting the notification issued by the then education secretary in the year 2014 in regards to calling back all subject teachers engaged as district programme coordinators, RMSA/BEO/APO/BRC/CRC and coordinators at offices in the districts and at the directorate, and the teachers attached to the office of the principal resident commissioner in New Delhi and the DRCs at different locations. Rather, in violation of the said order, many subject teachers, principals and vice-principals were appointed in non-teaching jobs under deputation by the education department,” the APPDSU alleged.
