Zaveyi Nyekha
District Education Officer, Mon
Introduction
In Nagaland, Primary Education, which has been placed under the Department of School Education, starts from Class I to Class IV for children in the age group of 6 to 9 years including Pre-Primary classes (better known as class A & B), and 9 to 14 years of children from classes V to VIII. A two-year Pre-Primary class generally attached to Govt. Primary Schools are accessible to all children in the locality within a reasonable distance. Today, every recognized village in the State has at least one Govt. Primary School.
Progress in Primary Education
With the implementation of Communitisation of Elementary Education Programme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) project in the State, there has been considerable progress in the Primary Education sector in terms of enrolment, retention of children in the school, and provision of reasonable quality education to Primary School children. This was rightly pointed out by the then Chief Secretary, R.S. Pandey that those two programmes were a married couple. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is to provide useful and relevant Elementary Education for all children in the 6 to 14 age group by 2010. Communitisation thus ensures investment of Community social capital for betterment of the schools and improvement of education in grass root level education.
‘A’ Communitisation of Elementary School Education
Nagaland Elementary School Education covers pre-Primary Stage (Classes A & B), Primary Stage (Classes 1 to 4) and Elementary Stage (Classes 5 to 8). The Nagaland Government in 2002, by an Act of Legislative Assembly, enacted an Act of Communitisation of Elementary Education 2002 “with the objectives to transfer the ownership to and sharing the responsibility of its management with the Community in an effort to give greater autonomy and responsibility to the Community with a reasonable decentralization of Elementary Schools Education.” To ensure success of the programme, the Village Education Committee (VEC) and the Common Education Committee (CEC) at the local level and the District Co-Ordination Committee (DCC) at the District Level were formally constituted.
Progress in Primary Education made by Communitisation of Elementary Education Programme
(1) Training and Orientation of Community Leaders and Education Functionaries
Community Leaders like members of VEC, CEC, VC, VDB and members of others NGOs in the locality responsible for management of Primary Education were intensively trained and oriented in their roles and functions as Community leaders’ mobilization in the context of Communitisation programmes. The training and orientation programmes were organized at the Block and Village levels with academic and technical support of Academic experts from SCERT, DIETs and Directorate of School Education Officers in the state. The Education Administrators and Supervisory personnel like DEOs, DISs, SISs and other officials were also trained in the programme. This training was successfully launched in the entire districts. However, more training is urgently required to give to the newly posted DEOs and DISs for the better coordination and administration of Primary schools.
(2) Participation and contribution of the community
The programme of Communitisation of Schools is an “Eye Opener” for the community at large, of their roles and responsibilities towards the upliftment of school management for their own children with realization of the need for their roles in the school education at the grassroots level. The following are some of the significant participations and contribution to the schools.
(i) Regular meeting among the community leaders of VECs, VDBs, Village Council, NGOs responsible for Primary Education.
(ii) Launched campaign for enrolment of children in the schools.
(iii) Contribution of man-power, land, materials for school building, repairing of schools, playgrounds etc.
(iv) Financial contribution through VDBs fund for sponsoring required additional teachers, CGI sheets for school buildings.
(v) Teaching children of traditional / folk song, folk tales, dances and cultural programmes and besides uniform of everyday like wearing traditional shawls every Wednesday, etc.
(vi) Organizing study tour, enforcement of study hours, checking of students’ accommodations like their chairs, tables, light system, etc., conducting free tutorial classes in the villages by the teachers and elderly students.
(vii) Mobilizing resources for school development and students’ improvement in academic performance.
(viii) Supply of free furniture to schools by rich people in the village and various organizations.
(ix) Assisting school teaching by the college students.
(x) Electrification of school building, construction of Ring well, Rostrum and supply of furniture and sports’ goods to the schools.
(xi) Contribution of free uniform to students, organizing of literacy programmes by the students’ union and churches.
(xii) The church programme does not collide with the school programmes.
(xiii) The Hon’ble Members like Ministers and MLAs also come down to the rescue measures for the school developments particularly in the programs of infrastructures with LADFs.
(3) Appointment and transfer of teachers
Substitute Teachers are appointed based on the scrutiny and recommendation of the concerned community of the school. Similarly, transfer of the teacher is done with the consent of the Village Education Committee and community leaders, thereby minimizing the scopes for political and bureaucratic interferences in matters of appointment and transfer of teachers. Moreover, mass transfer or ghost appointment is checked.
(4) Implementation of ‘No Work, No Pay’
The power for financial transaction for Teachers’ monthly salary is transferred to the hands of the VEC with powers delegated to the VEC, the principle of ‘NO WORK, NO PAY’ is effectively being implemented, where regular pay to the teachers is regulated and daily wage is deducted according to the number of days a teachers is found absent in the school with the enforcement of ‘NO WORK, NO PAY’ and the teachers are now bound to be regular in the school. A monthly salary for teachers is distributed by the VEC with Head teacher. A weak VEC is a weak school.
(5) Improvement in the performance of the students
There has been a significant improvement in the students’ performance with an increase in the passing percentage of students at the Elementary School Leaving Certificate Examination (for class VIII) and Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination (for class IV). In some village school, there was an increase of 80% students’ passing percentage at the terminal/promotional examination, as a result of communitisation of schools.
(6) Increase of regularity of teachers and students
With the launched programme of Communitisation and SSA, the teacher and students become more regular and sincere in the school attendance and works. Since the teachers have been receiving various types of trainings, teachers have been found more zealous to teach the children in the schools.
(7) Education tours
The VEC members are exposed to other school environments and make several improvements in their own schools through educational tours. There is every competition of school management from village to village.
(8) Formation of Parents-Teachers Associations
This Association has been formed in every Govt. Primary School where the teachers and parents conduct regular co-ordination meetings and other activities. This helps create congenial relationship among teachers, students and parents which in turn helps improve in the students’ performance in the schools. Here, the parents’ contribution for the academic affair and health of the children is highly commendable.
(9) Financial assistance under communitisation programme for school infrastructural development
Funds for the Primary Schools and its developmental works are made available directly to the village Bank Saving Account and Current Accounts through SBI for the salaries and others.
(i) Works related to construction of school building, extension, renovation of school building.
(ii) Supply of furniture.
(iii) Provision of mid-day meal for children much improved.
(iv) Supply/Purchase of free text books more regular and satisfactory.
(10) General observation
With the publication of booklets on the Guidelines on Communitisation of Elementary Education, the horizons of community participation and contributions towards Primary Education has widened. Most of the Chairmen of VEC expressed volumes of their achievements and improvements of Primary School Education in their terms of better access to physical and infrastructure facilities, rise of enrolment, retention and decrease on the rate of dropouts at Primary School Stage. Teachers become more regular in the school and have demonstrated greater sense of sincerity and devotion to their profession with the provision of funds made directly for the schools. The erring teachers are questioned and a congenial relationship developed between teachers, students, parents and community. Teachers become more responsive to their duties. Communitisation of schools heralds the emergence and enhancement of quality Primary Education. Community is now on the move of active partner of Education functionaries.
‘B’ Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Project
(1) Financial support
Along with commoditization programme, the financial support is extended to all schools through VEC Bank Accounts, for school infrastructure developments and management as follows:-
(a) Rs. 5000/- per school for maintenance of the school building.
(b) Rs. 2000/- per school for maintenance of the school office stationery.
(c) Rs. 500/- per teacher as ‘Teacher Grant’ for procurement and development of teaching materials (TLM) and teaching aids. This financial support is made to help teachers in the improvement of teaching learning process.
(d) Rs. 150/- per student is made available in the VEC Bank Accounts for purchase of the books. This is based on students’ enrolment. However, the district of Mon is placed under PMGY scheme that free Textbooks supply comes directly from the Directorate of School Education, Nagaland every year.
(2) Establishment of Education Block Resource Centres (EBRC)
Altogether 41 EBRCs have been established in the State with a Coordinator, Asst. Coordinator and 4 (four) Trainer of Teachers (TOTs) trained by SCERT. With the establishment of the ERBCs, the educational programmes in the state have been decentralized to the Block levels of the locality. Mass Teachers Training programmes have been organized by the ERBC with academic and technical support from SCERT and DIETs.
(3) State Resource Group (SRG)
The Educational Quality Improvement Programme (EQUIP) is being launched in the UNICEF since August 2002 with the aim to bring about Qualitative Improvement of school education particularly Primary School Education. With the responsibility entrusted, the SCERT has constituted a SRG with the members being drawn from SCERT and DIETs. Towards achieving the objectives, a total number of 9 (nine) workshops have been conducted in collaboration with the UNICEF where the SRG members have been oriented and trained in New Pedagogy of Activity-based Teaching with child-centered, play-way and participatory approach of teaching-learning process, which have been passed on to the Block level of EBRC is very fruitful. This EBRC is also the lifeline of SSA in the progress of being launched in the state.
(4) Training Of Teacher Trainers (TOT)
The need for more number of teacher trainers has been felt. Therefore, to multiply the number of Teacher Trainers a Teacher training strategy was designed where some experienced Teachers were identified to be trained as Trainers of Teachers (TOT). Accordingly, 4 (four) teachers from each EBRC were identified and trained in Activity-based Teaching to act as TOT. The best and sincere teachers were drawn from the schools. The significant result of mass trained teachers in the Primary schools is seen today.
(5) Mass teachers training
In turn, the TOTs after exposing their competency and capacity in Training Teachers conducted a massive Teachers Training in their respective ERBC in the whole state. Altogether, 75% of Primary Teachers in the State have been trained by this programme. All the Trained Teachers have been awarded with certificates to identify them as Trained Teachers. This programme was designed with a target of training all the Primary School Teachers in the New Pedagogy during the year 2004, to see that a Qualitative improvement has been brought about in Primary School teaching-learning process so as to make teaching-learning a joyful experience for children.
(6) Alternate schooling
For the implementation of AIS, the State Mission Authority tied up with the Churches with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by them. As such, the Associations were given the responsibility of implementing AIS in all districts. In this direction, the Associations undertake the responsibility of mainstreaming the out of school children in the districts.
(7) Civil works
It is proudly claimed that every village account is opened through SBI and all fund transaction done is a success story of SSA. Every fund received from the government through the State Mission Authority against different heads is credited directly to the respective Saving Accounts of the Village Committees with proper sanction order copies and guidelines for utilization. One Junior Engineer of each district inspects every civil work activity or any Project Assistant assigned by DEO and full completion of civil works Photo Album is also maintained is a successful story of SSA.
The face of the people today is being transformed with an advent of modern educational facilities provided by the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and Communitisation in the state.
