Assam ropes in ex-teachers to monitor schools

Guwahati: Bogged down by deteriorating quality of education, the Assam education department has decided to rope in 124 retired teachers, decorated with various awards, to engage them as observers for 126 such high schools that performed poorly in exam this year.

Informing that these retired teachers would be paid honorarium, Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday said these retired teachers would be acting as inspectors for the schools and monitor the entire academic activities starting from attendance of teachers and students to the quality of education.

He said the department has already identified 126 such schools, which performed poorly in this year high school examinations. “We have asked the retired teachers to take over the responsibility from August 15,” said Mr Sarma, adding that they will be reporting day-to-day report of their respective schools to the education department.

Announcing that education department has also decided to open 12 colleges this year, Mr Sarma said, “We are going to handover appointment letters to teachers and principals of five on August 4.”

Pointing out that these colleges have been named as Deendayal Upadhyaya Adarsh College, Mr Sarma said that the state government has decided to open the chain of government colleges wherever it is required. “We are spending about Rs 9 crore on construction of each college,” said Mr Sarma, while announcing that this year the government is also going to start 11 new polytechnic colleges for which construction work has already been completed. “The process of appointing the faculties have started,” he said, while regretting the deteriorating atmosphere in educational institution of the state.

He said that instead of relying on community to start colleges, the state government has decided to start chain of colleges all over the state to improve the quality of education.