Education minister promises steps to uplift lagging schools, colleges

Taking cognisance of MiD DAY's report on the 184 state schools and colleges that secured zero per cent results at this year's board exams, the state school education minister assured to initiate measures to prevent a similar repeat in the next academic year.u00a0

MiD DAY in its article (‘184 schools, junior colleges recorded 0% results in SSC, HSC', June 17) had highlighted that despite repeated poor performances by these institutions over the years, the state education board had not initiated any action against them or taken steps to improve the quality of teaching.

Sound Planning: Rajendra Darda yesterday said that he would personally conduct a district-wise meeting with concerned school authorities to analyse the issues and formulate a plan. Pic/Krunal Gosavi

School Education Minister Rajendra Darda, yesterday, said that he would now personally conduct a district-wise meeting with concerned school authorities to analyse the issues and formulate a plan. "In the next 10 days, I am coming up with a detailed plan after which I will personally conduct a district-wise meeting and interact with concerned authorities," said Darda.

"You have highlighted the schools that have secured zero per cent results, but I intend to focus on all schools and junior colleges that secured overall results between zero and 30 per cent," he said.

While elaborating on the measures the government plans to take, Darda said, "I have already asked the state board authorities to draft letters to all these institutes, asking them if they want any help from the board to improve their situation."

Grabbing attention: The MiD DAY story ‘184 schools, junior colleges recorded 0% results in SSC, HSC', which was published on June 17, had highlighted that despite repeated poor performances by these institutions over the years, the state education board had not initiated any action against them or taken steps to improve the quality of teaching

"At the district level, we are also planning to transfer some teachers from schools that have secured 100 per cent results to schools having zero per cent results. In the past too, we had done something like this and it will help schools to adopt the necessary academic environment at their campuses," he said.

Explaining the probable rationale behind the zero per cent results, Sarjerao Jadhav, chairman, Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, said, "Unqualified teachers, lack of basic infrastructure, shortage of staff may be the reasons."

Senior educationist and convener of Shikshan Hakka Samanvay Samiti Vijaya Chauhan said, "Considering the current pattern of the board exams, it is very difficult to digest the fact that in so many schools not a single student has passed. No school overnight secures zero per cent results. Has the state government even tried to check records of the last 10 years of these schools?"

Taxpayer's loss
It has also come to light that of the 184 institutes, several of them are receiving salary grants by the state government and the poor results year-on-year is nothing but a waste of taxpayers money. "A High school that has a single division for students studying in Std V to X has around nine teachers, one headmaster and another four non-teaching employees. The government pays their salaries. Some schools even arrange bogus catalogues of students just to collect the salary grant," said Jadhav.u00a0