Over 70,000 Assam teachers oppose vigilance in education: Report

NEW DELHI: Almost 70,000 teachers from 36,000 primary schools in Jorhat, Assam, have opposed the state government’s decision to form panchayat-level vigilance and monitoring committees in the education system, said a Times of India report on Tuesday. These teachers have come together under the banner of Assam State Primary Teachers Association (ASPTA).

The Assam cabinet has decided to form state-level and district-level vigilance and monitoring committees in order to ensure quality education at the primary level in panchayati raj institutions. These monitoring committees come under the chairmanship of the zilla parishad and anchalik panchayat presidents of Assam.

ASPTA president, Anuwar Hussain, and chief secretary Ratul Chandra Goswami told TOI: “We have asked the government to involve the panchayat representatives with the state education system for vigilance and monitoring in schools.”

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They added that they have demanded the government to withdraw this decision for the greater interest of the state education system in Assam. According to the 73rd amendment of the Constitution, panchayat representatives are members of the managing committees in every school. States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Odisha and Jharkhand have involved panchayat representatives with their education system but they have not forced any vigilance and monitoring committees.

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They also said that some districts in Assam don’t have a panchayat system as of yet. The implementation of this decision of the Assam government will lead to unwanted political pressure causing harm to the education sector, they told TOI.

Further the president and chief secretary said that they believe this monitoring system will also harm the “self sufficiency and liberty” of the education system.

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