Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)
Mangaluru, Aug 31: After the education department made it mandatory for head teachers to submit details of daily attendance figures of primary and high school teachers and students through cellphones and to send information about admission records of students to the website of the department on a daily basis, head teachers can be seen moving around directionlessly searching for network. At the same time, the teachers are unable to undertake teaching work as text books have not arrived fully and properly so far. This has been a common phenomenon with education department.
The teachers are required to send details of midday meals programme along with details of the school, code numbers of teachers, date, number of teachers present and number of children by 2.30 pm everyday through SMS to a number given by the department. Failure to provide information by evening attracts notice from the department and the teachers are made to bear the cost of midday meals for that day. Even when the information provided is incomplete, items needed for running the programme would not be released, the department has warned. Messages with minor defects like absence of comma too get rejected.
File photo of a school
As most schools in the twin-districts in the coast are located in rural ares not supported by strong networks, many head teachers can be seen moving around with their cellphones held high seeking to connect with network.
The other problem is that admission of primary and high school students needs to be done online. Details not fed online become invalid. There is strict instruction not to enter admission details only in the register concerned. As identity number issued through online registration is needed for obtaining all facilities including scholarship, the teachers are compelled to do admissions online.
The department of education has not provided computers to primary schools. Some schools have got computers with help from donors but many have become defunct because of poor maintenance. The government has not provided internet connection nor has it given any grant for the same. The teachers therefore have to visit computer centres or education resource centres and by spending several hours each time to fill details of students. Poor internet connection in rural places that has refused to improve even in the 'Digital India' era makes teachers to wait for hours to get the needful done.
Teachers question the department's policy of pressurizing teachers to do things without providing computers or internet connection. They complain that the amounts they spend at cyber centres are not refunded by the department. In most cases, head teachers have to go to taluk headquarters or block resource centres with files to file details. If all the documents come to block resource centres, it takes days to enter the details.
Schools are suffering from another problem on account of short supply of text books. Even after two and half months since the new academic year began, text books in required quantities have not been supplied. Some text books which need to be taught from November 1 have come, but the ones which were to be taught from June are yet to be supplied, putting the teachers and students in a quandary.