DoE has inspection check-list for Mega PTM on Saturday

NEW DELHI: The invites have gone out. Through cards, class announcements, door-to-door visits by school management committee members and SMSes, parents of children attending Delhi government’s schools have been invited to the schools for the “Mega PTM,” (mega parent-teacher meeting) scheduled for Saturday, July 30.
So dead serious is government about this event, organized mainly to sell its education programme, Chunauti 2018, that an elaborate inspection plan and check-list have been drawn up and a circular issued.
Apart from checking the progress of Chunauti itself, the Directorate of Education’s inspection teams will check if “an invite has been sent to parents”; school and toilets are “neat and clean”; “tea etc. have been arranged for parents”; “drinking water arrangement is satisfactory”; “class teachers are sitting in their respective classrooms”; and “parents are guided by student volunteers and welcomed by teachers.”
“Consequently, every one at my school is totally preoccupied with who will make tea and how it will be served” says Ajay Vir Yadav of Government School Teachers’ Association. The association has also pointed out that this isn’t the first PTM and that parent-teacher-meetings have been part of the government’s education policy for a while. In fact, in August last year, the government made holding PTMs every quarter compulsory for schools and suggested keeping every last working day of the month open for the visit of parents.
“School are organizing basic refreshments, teachers will meet parents and discussion the children’s performance,” says a mentor teacher. Those more enthusiastic will put up art-work created by the students too. The Mega PTM banner, however, is mandatory. “Seeing their kid’s work put up can be a moment of pride for parents. It also creates a sense of ownership and belonging,” says a mentor teacher. The odd school may even have a cultural programme or an address by the head of school. In addition to this, teachers will also discuss the performance of kids with their parents
The hardest part will be explaining Chunauti and the division of kids into groups according to ability. “Some parents are already unhappy with the division, their kids being placed in groups for those with lower achievements. Another lot is feeling superior. We have to also explain what Patrachar Vidyalaya is and what the modified exam will be all about,” says a mentor teacher.