Last few weeks have seen some serious debates happening on our group and here’s brief on the topic of Recruitment of Anganbari workers as Teachers in govt. schools.

Sunil raised the issue of Recruitment of anganbari workers as Teachers in govt. schools.

Rahul views”A teacher training program was introduced by the government in the early 90s and it was planned that people completing the training will be recruited with the new secondary and senior secondary schools (Not Anganbari). Around 40,000 people took the training for 3 years spending valuable time and money. But in the regime of Mr. LALU Pd. Yadav, the program was shunted and never looked upon. So when Mr. Nitish came in, he is just following up the same program. DONT you think those 40,000 people deserve to get the jobs? DONT you think they are capable enough??? DONT you think they should be given a chance to contribute in a better Bihar???? Atleast they will be better than untrained people????”

Frank’s reply ” I have been involved with the Bihar education project and the DPEP and the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan as an independent documentation specialist looking at things from the 'outside' and reporting directly to the international agencies involved.

Throughout the years 1998 to 2004, i have observed the success, the empowerment, and the training of government primary school teachers and village committees [as well as reported on the pitfalls and gaps and barriers thrown up by the system] -- as well as the improvement in the physical conditions of several hundred schools - boundary walls, new classrooms, drinking water, toilets -- and in order for the REAL and lasting development of any state, we need to concentrate on 100 percent qualitative improvement of primary education [ages 6 to 14] -- incidentally this has been undertaken with significant success in the much lambasted 'laloo regime' with all its anarchy.

In this context, I was also apprised of some of the problems of the secondary level government schools - and the urgent need is not 40,000 teachers to be sent to schools with no benches, no toilets, no water, no funds to maintain their libraries [actually no libraries], no equipment for basic science experiments. This segment was totally neglected.

What we need is to get the infrastructure put in place in existing schools, retrain and empower EXISTING educational professionals and first let the students - [ the people who really matter] - feel that they are being given basic facilities as soon as possible.

Sorry, folk, this recruitment of 40,000 teachers [trained a decade ago!!!!] is nothing but political eye-wash. i would like to see the new government actually get down to the fundamentals of development that is measurable in the context of qualitative improvement in the physical and educational well-being of existing schools which are languishing and hence only producing maladjusted young people largely incapable of further employment.

Rahul’s reply " Bihar has a long way to go and debates on what should be done and what should not be done will not yield anything.

Yes I understand that raising the current standard and facilities of schools is important but don't you think that there areas in our state that don't even have basic education facility. If teachers are to be recruited then definitely new schools and facilities will open up. And don't you know that there is a lack of teaching force even in the existing schools. What use will be better infrastructure and facilities without any teachers???

You can just judge anyone just like that… Yes 10 years are a long time but how can you say that they have become useless. You cannot just take away their right to get the job they deserve. Put yourself in their shoes. And moreover recruitment of people will not do anything bad.

In the current circumstances every development in the state can be regarded as political eyewash (If you want to), like….. Nitish going to the Pravashi Bharatiya Mahatosav, asking for investment in Bihar, opening up of sugar mills, blahh blahhh.. God knows whether it will work for Bihar or will it only be the material for newspapers and media persons to talk about. I know that the success of this teacher appointment thing depends on time and the government's honesty and this applies to all the plans for BIHAR."

Why do we always have to think the sophisticated way?

My take” Sometimes the political leadership takes decision which is merely populist in nature and that's just one of the pitfalls of popular democratically elected govt.

I think all of us realize that problems are more deep rooted and basic in nature. The system needs a complete overhaul; we need some fundamental changes in the model which we have been following.

Some how I feel that govt. should involve more NGO's and other developmental agencies for meeting this huge requirement for basic education in the state.

Infrastructure is another critical factor which needs immediate attention, without basic amenities we can never dream of having a good education system.