Education director is not an asset to the department
By Nisser Dias
nisserdias at gmail.com
SMS to 9422437029
Last week there was some turbulence in the education department regarding
the controversial circular issued by the directorate of education (DoE) to
the government and aided schools. According to the media reports the
director of Education Anil Powar permitted the school managements to buy any
two news dailies (one English and one Marathi) for the benefit of the
students.
On the face of it, it seemed that this non Goan director of education was
interested in the welfare of the student community, but knowing Powar, his
intentions are not very clean. I am of the opinion that he was approached by
some marketing persons of news dailies in a bid to promote the sale of their
paper and sold him the idea of how beneficial their product would be to
students. And the director swallowed the bait, maybe for obvious reasons.
Though he stopped short of naming the news dailies he passed a message to
parents which news dailies would benefit their children, as these are the
ones that publish tutorials or test papers for students to solve. But it
seems that there is more to it than meets the eye.
Incidentally, the managements took objections to this circular as they have
made a habit of buying all the four English dailies and a couple of
vernacular newspapers on regular basis for the students to catch up on news.
It seems like Anil Powar’s intention is to catch the eye of the students on
these tutorials or tests papers so that they force their parents to buy the
paper at home. Obviously students do not have the time nor the inclination
to solve or go over the entire subject material published in the newspaper
during the short recess. It looks like either the Director of Education is
trying to get in good books with the publication houses or has reduced
himself to marketing person of same, which would rather befit him as it is
alleged that he has made a virtue of being an ‘Yes man” to those who matter.
And what possible good could this director of education do to the Goan
education standards and student community as his heart lies in his native
land of Karwar.
What good could he possibly do to raise the standard of syllabus. What good
could he possibly do to eradicate illiteracy. The director of education
cannot even monitor food that is prepared for the students under the midday
meal scheme as a result of which students suffer from food poisoning. The
most recent one reported was in Khola.
What good could he possibly do to the parents who are shouldering the
responsibility of educating their children in English medium private schools
without burdening the government. Instead of safeguarding the rights of the
parents which are cited in the Goa State Education Act 1984 and Rules 1986,
he has allowed the managements of the private schools to do as they please
thereby allowing the parents to be at the mercy of the managements of these
schools.
Non Goans like him saw the potential in setting up English medium schools in
Goa and fleecing parents for two reasons. They realized that the parents in
Goa are of mild nature and do not like to antagonize the principals and
managements in fear of their child being targeted and secondly because
directorate of education is least bothered about the functioning of the
schools.
And Director of Education Anil Powar is alleged to have an excellent rapport
with the pseudo educationists who under the guise of imparting quality
education are fleecing the parents and swindling the teachers. Various
complaints of parents have not been acted upon. Infact during one of our
meetings with former Education minister Babush Monseratte in presence of the
director of Education (then dy director), one of the parents made a direct
allegation against him stating that he is on the payroll of the managements
of private schools. Otherwise how come he does not act on parent’s
complaints. Sadly Powar did not even try to defend himself.
It is known fact that for two decades Directorate of Education has been
currying favours for the pseudo educationists who have set up private
schools in English medium, but the role of the directors since then has been
suspicious as they allowed the managements of private schools a free rein
for reasons best known to them, which of course is an open secret now and
this director has also been a part and parcel being a top official at the
DoE for the corresponding period. Ironically though, some chairmen of the
Trust, Mandal and Society managing these schools do not take kindly to the
machinations and functioning of the top officials of the DoE either. Infact
during a discussion with parents one of the chairmen alleged to have
commented that Anil Powar is not fit to be his peon less director of
Education.
Such is the resentment of not only parents but also of the managements of
private schools. If that is so, one can imagine how he must be looked at by
the government and aided school managements.
As a director of education, he is supposed to be the guardian of the
Education Act and Rules, which safeguards the interests of all the stake
holders in the Education sector including parents. However during one of his
addresses in a college in Margao this year, he lambasted the parents for
protesting against arbitrary fee hikes. It is alleged that he went on to say
that private schools provide best of facilities. Ironically the very private
school he was referring to does not have a proper football ground and the
annual sports are held elsewhere for the last so many years. But Director of
Education Anil Powar feels they are doing yeoman service to the society.
What the director of education should do is to concentrate of bringing about
a sea change in the system and functioning of schools be it government or
aided or unaided and all the innovations and improvements should be student
centric rather than managements. (ENDS)
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First published in Gomantak Times, Goa - April 19, 2012
