The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has pressed for strengthening of Cluster Resource Centres (CRCs) to provide on-site support to the school teachers.
The MHRD has directed the authorities in school educationdepartment to ensure the CRCs provide regular support to the schools and theteachers.
The issue about strengthening of CRCs was discussed in thelast project approval board (PAB) meeting convened by Secretary Education andLiteracy in MHRD on June 12.
During the meeting the representatives of J&K SchoolEducation Department were censured for “poor performance” of students in thelast National Achieve Survey (NAS) conducted by the NCERT.
As per the minutes of the meeting, the MHRD has stated thatthe CRCs are the “most critical” units for training and on-site support to theschools and the teachers.
“The CRCs need to undertake regular visits and organisemonthly meetings to discuss academic issues and design strategies for betterschool performance,” read the minutes.
Over the years, the national surveys have presented a grimpicture of education sector in terms of “learning outcomes” of studentsparticularly in the primary and the middle classes.
The Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) 2018 reportrevealed that only 22.3 percent children of class 3rd can read the text from2nd primary text books and only 36 percent students are able to do subtraction.Similarly, only 41.9 percent students are able to read text from 2nd primarytext books and only 25 percent can do division. Only 32 percent students fromclass 8th can do division.
The CRCs have been asked to take up periodic inspection andsupervision of schools to observe the infrastructure and facilities and theadministrative aspects.
“In addition, a proper system of academic and curricularsupport should be developed to serve the purpose of continuous professional upgradation of teachers,” read the minutes.
The MHRD has passed on directions to the EducationDepartment that each cluster resource coordinator should visit the schools andprovide onsite academic support at least once in two months. “The reportsshould be sent on a common platform to be shared by MHRD,” read the minutes.
The appointment of CRCs was introduced as a component undererstwhile SSA scheme wherein some trained teachers were appointed as CRCs andentrusted to visit schools to provide academic assistance to the schoolteachers.
However in J&K, most of the CRCs after their deputationfrom schools undertake non-teaching assignment in the offices of zonaleducation officers (ZEOs) and chief education officers (CEO).
“They don’t play their actual role as what they are supposedto do as CRCs. They never visit schools to provide academic assistance,” anofficial said.
In past, the department had instructed all the CRCs andzonal resource persons (ZRPs) to visit schools on weekly basis and maintaintheir ‘school tour dairy’ to be submitted to the administrative departmentfortnightly. But the orders were not implemented till date.
Meanwhile, the MHRD has also pressed for school managementcommittee (SMC) trainings to be conducted by CRCs.
“Four quarterly meetings of SMC should be held in a year ondates to be notified by the state government for all the schools,” read theminutes of the meeting.