RANCHI:
Jharkhand Vikas Morcha chief
Babulal Marandi has requested chief minister Raghubar Das to roll back the government decision to hand over government residential schools (run by the welfare department) to non-profit organizations.
In a letter the former chief minister argued the government move will take a high toll on the quality of education and ultimately children from tribal, underprivileged and poor communities - who mostly stay in these schools - would suffer.
"I have come to learn that the government is planning to handover around half of 114 residential schools to NGOs for management. In past 132 schools were given to NGOs, but they could not manage the schools according to expectations and the quality of education suffered," Marandi wrote.
The letter was issued to the media from JVM-P office on Sunday. It was signed September 15 and sent to the chief minister office.
Marandi claimed that serious laxity in management of schools by the NGOs had been witnessed in the past. "Unhappy with the management, the government authorities (district welfare officers) have issued notices to some of the NGOs and sought clarification. A couple of NGOs have been black-listed as well," Marandi argued.
The former chief minister said without an efficient track record the move to hand over more residential schools to such NGOs would be a step backward in improving the standards of education in government run schools, which, as it is, are already battling poor quality education. He had also attached reports of departmental investigations into the allegations of irregularities in NGOs run government schools to back his claims.
According to one attachment officials of some of the NGOs made students work at their homes, did not provide mid-day meals and the books and kits the government provide the students.
Marandi said the success percentage of schools run by welfare department was 81.97%. "These residential schools are doing well. A change in management will ruin the standards," Marandi said.
In the same letter the former CM also urged the government to fill up vacancies in teaching positions in several government schools in the state. The state's educationists consider it a big blockade in the road to quality education, the JVM-P chief said.