Steps to encourage teachers

(PHOTO: SNS)

The Odisha government has decided to initiate steps to put in place an award system to encourage good performing teachers and functionaries working at field level of the education department. The system will be introduced on a pilot basis in 300 schools.

Chief Secretary, Gokul Chandra Pati discussed several aspects pertaining to improving the education sector in the state at the executive committee meeting of the Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority (OPEPA) here today and talked about the award system.

Secretary School and Mass Education Usha Padhi presented the updates and outlined the issues for discussion.

Reviewing the progress, the chief secretary advised the department to strengthen evaluation and monitoring of various projects being implemented by OPEPA.

He stressed on third party concurrent evaluation of the programmes along with improvement in teaching and learning outcomes. Additional chief secretary, Finance, R Balakrishnan, suggested to adopt technology enabled teaching learning system developed by IIT, Madras for carrying forward qualitative improvements.

Padhi informed the meeting that the text books and other e-contents for class-I to class-X will be made available in eBasta in phased manner with technical assistance from the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC). This e-platform for text books bears the name http://ebasta.in.

The books will be available in popular digital formats such as ePub, kindle, iPad and pdf etc. The books will be available to teachers, students, guardians and schools free of cost. The students can also download the text books and other e-contents on their devices like tablets, smart phones or a pen drive and carry it as per their convenience.

Emphasis will be given on refresher and orientation training to teachers on a regular basis said officials of the education department.

The committee also reviewed the progress of different schemes of Sarva Sikshya Abhijan during 2014-15. Review shows that utilization of funds under SSA has been to the tune of 100 per cent during this fiscal with total spending of Rs.1377.16 crore.

The committee has considered Annual work Plan and Budget of Rs 2321 crore for 2015-16. The major interventions in the Annual Action Plan includes construction of toilets, residential hostels, transport and escort facility, special training, seasonal hostel, free text books, free uniform, inclusive education, teachers training, learning enhancement programmes, community mobilization and girl child education.

Read more at http://www.thestatesman.com/news/odisha/steps-to-encourage-teachers/71821.html#JYFjYFDtsUPptCFm.99