The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : `Revamp public education system'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 23, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

`Revamp public education system'

By Our Staff Reporter

CHENNAI, JULY 22. Educationists and experts have cautioned the Government against knee-jerk reaction to the Kumbakonam school fire tragedy and urged it to concentrate on upgrading and revamping the entire public education system.

Addressing a meet organised by the Tamil Nadu Alliance for Right to Education and Equity, which submitted a fact-finding report, they said the disaster exposed the collective failure of parties in power during the past two decades, social fora and activists.

"The shock waves from the tragedy should result in some self-introspection over the erosion of public education system," said the State Women's Commission Chairperson, Vasanthidevi.

`No regulation'

She lamented that unaided schools were functioning with either least or nil regulatory regime, and wanted parents to be cautioned against admitting students in schools with poor infrastructure. She said many schools were functioning with untrained and under-qualified teaching faculty.

Vacant posts

Welcoming the Government's measures during the past one week, educationist S.S. Rajagopalan pointed out that of the 30 Chief Education Officer posts 13 were vacant, and out of 64 District Education Officer (DEO) posts 43 were vacant. Half of the posts of Inspector of Matriculation Schools were also lying unfilled.

He wanted the judicial commission probing the matter to `unearth political angle in the grant of permissions to ill-equipped schools.' Even though the DEOs were the competent authorities, school permits were issued only at the Director-level, after instructions from political leaders, he alleged.

`Review meal scheme'

The commission should also review the functioning of the noon-meal scheme and suggest means to relocate hazardous noon-meal kitchens to a safe distance away from classrooms. It should also consider the compliance/violation of norms governing issues such as student intake and classroom space, he said.

Confining the introspection and the terms of reference of commission only to the thatched sheds issue would not serve any useful purpose, Mr. Rajagopalan said.

The forum coordinator, Andre Sesurai, demanded a White Paper on the tragedy and remedial measures.

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