Newindpress

Mangalore, Feb 17: The objectives behind ‘Samyukta Prouda Shale’ project, implemented state-wide, has not gone beyond the stage of sign-boards. Introduced to infuse quality teaching in primary schools, it ended creating fissures between the primary and high school teachers, transforming schools into divided houses.

Under the initiative, the headmaster of a high school in a village was designated as Cluster Assistant Education Officer (AEO) and empowered with responsibilities of a primary school head master. ‘Samyukta Prouda Shale’ project in theory aimed at quality teaching with sharing of high school Mathematics, Science and English teachers.

It envisaged freeing primary teachers of mundane chores like mid-day meal responsibilities, signing of leave applications, transfer certificates among others and assist them in giving their undivided attention to teaching.

A high school in each village was identified and sign-boards declaring them as ‘Samyukta Prouda Shale’ came up prominently. “As many as 85 such ‘Prouda Shales’ were identified and 88 HMs were nominated as AEOs in the district,” says Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) C Chame Gowda.

The initiative strayed from its objective when transfer of controls happened without the much-needed infrastructural support. Owing to acute shortage of high school teachers, exchange of teachers did not happen in many schools across the district.

With centralisation of powers at the level of AEOs, getting leave sanctioned, transfer certificates have become time-consuming exercises. “Worse, the heavily burdened AEOS have delayed the release of salaries,” a teacher on condition of anonymity told this website's newspaper.

Centralisation of powers also has caused heartburns among primary school HMs. District unit of Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association (KSPSTA) President Sreedhar Ullal argues that they are not annoyed over the loss of powers.

“But it has snapped the emotional ties shared between teachers and students,” he rues and adds; “we feel like foster parents who have lost rights over the children.”

Rennie D’Souza of Valored, a city based social pressure group working on quality education in government schools in rural villages, says ‘Samyukta Prouda Shale’ is a big chaos.

He insists that in the interest of education, school development monitoring committees which first ended the monopoly of HMs should be retained in the new system too.