Dimapur, May 15 (EMN): A mobile application, which according to an education official will ‘bring visible transparency (sic),’ will be introduced next month in all the schools in Nagaland. The idea is greater monitoring as it will mean that reports of various education-related activities shall be uploaded by schools in the districts.
The government publicity agency, the department of Information and Public Relations (IPR), gave updates on Wednesday about an event during which the officer’s statement was given.
A seminar for ‘district personnel’ on the area of community mobilization and training was conducted at the Capital Convention Centre, on May 15 in Kohima.
The programme was an initiative of the department of School Education.
The principal secretary for School Education, Menukhol John, delivered the key note of the event. According to the
IPR, he expressed happiness for the ‘slight improvement of 43% pass percentage’ in government schools in the high school leaving certificate examination compared to the 40% of the previous year.
John said that even at the higher secondary level, government schools have done ‘fairly well,’ while in the ‘commerce level’ government schools have performed much better than the private institutions in terms of pass percentage.
The IPR elaborated more on the officer’s speech. He was stated to have remarked that the government of India has started grading each and every state in terms of performance grading index and added that things are going to be different with the revamping of SamagraShiksha and the general activities of the School Education Department.
John said that a mobile app would be introduced next month in all the schools. Through the app, various reports of activities will be uploaded by the schools from all districts across the state, it was informed.
The officer said that the mobile app would ‘help in the visibility’ of implementing various activities at the elementary, secondary and higher secondary levels.
The officer urged the participants and officials to make full use of the mobile application to ‘bring visible transparency’ in the activities of educational institutions in the districts.
Stressing on the importance of performance of the department, the officer urged the teachers to walk the extra mile to ‘improve the performance indicators’ all year round.
‘Our state had shown improvement in terms of gender equation and decrease in dropout rates in schools but, one very discouraging indicator was in the area of physical education curriculum which is the lowest in the entire country with 13% which he said was very discouraging,’ he said.
The officer was stated to have urged teachers to concentrate on the physical education subject too and to see that it is part of the children’s daily routine in all the schools.
Also, the director for School Education, Wonthungo Tsopoe, spoke at the program. He said that the school is a ‘managerial society where the prosperity of school reflects the prosperity of the society.’
Tsopoe appealed to the officials to identify problems and difficulties children face and to identify the resources that are available in the community. That way, he said, the department will be able to take initiative and mobilize the community for positive action.
Tsopoe said further that the teachers’ duty is not only ‘going to the classroom.’ Their work goes beyond identifying children’s lack of motivation, or their level of aspiration, or language problems.
‘Teachers have to play a role as a mentor, guide and as a parent to their students, in a way of inculcating their reading habits and giving a special tuition after school hours,’ he said.
Looking back at the history of education, he said teachers were not as qualified then as they are today but they were more committed in their call to the profession. Today, teachers are highly qualified but lack commitment and this is a great concern, he said.
The IPR added that Tsopoe urged the teachers to be committed to improving the standard of education and bringing a change to the society.
