Jorhat: More than 70,000 teachers of about 36,000 primary schools under the banner of the Assam State Primary Teachers Association (ASPTA) have opposed the state cabinet’s decision to form panchayat-level vigilance and monitoring committees in education sector in the state.
To ensure quality education of grassroot level involving Panchyati Raj institutions, the Assam cabinet has decided to constitute district level and block level vigilance and monitoring committees under the chairmanship of zilla parishad and anchalic panchyat presidents in the state.
In a statement, ASPTA president in charge, Anuwar Hussain and chief secretary Ratul Chandra Goswami said, “We have asked the government to reconsider the cabinet decision to involve the panchyat representatives with state education system for vigilance and monitoring in schools.
We have demanded to the government to withdraw this decision for the greater interest of the state education system in Assam. As per the 73rd amendment of the constitution, in every school a panchyat representative are members of the school managing committees in every school. States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Odisha and Jharkhand have involved panchyat representatives with the education system in their states but they have not formed any vigilance and monitoring committees.
Moreover, in some districts in Assam, there is no panchyat system as yet.” They added, “If the Assam government implements this decision, it will create unwanted political pressure which will cause serious harm to the education sector. We believe this system will also harm the self sufficiency and liberty of the state education system. We demand the government to withdraw this decision at the earliest for the greater interest of our education system.”
