Mumbai: Members of the Mumbai School Principals’ Association have opposed the decision of the state education ministry to form a think tank without the involvement of principals, teachers and parents. This think tank will not be able to improve the quality of education at the ground level without the involvement and contribution of teachers and parents, claim members of the association.
In January, the newly-appointed state school education minister Varsha Gaikwad of the Congress party announced to form a think tank to formulate and brainstorm strategies to enhance the quality of education in schools across Maharashtra. The think tank would comprise of members like education experts, retired education officers, zilla parishad (ZP) school officers, former government officials, media personnel covering education beat and representatives of NGOs that work in the education sector.
Teachers and parents know the ground realities and challenges that students face, claim Prashant Redij, secretary, Mumbai School Principals’ Association. Redij said, “This think tank will discuss various strategies and ways to improve the curriculum and other factors. Why has the state not involved teachers and parents to be a part of this think tank? Teachers and parents are well aware of the situation at the ground level. They know various challenges and can contribute in a better way to improve policies.”
As per the state education ministry, the aim of this think tank is to formulate new ideas to improve teaching-learning methods
and create an enriching
outcome.
An official of the ministry, said, “We have formed the think tank consisting of a mix of experts from the various fields of the education sector such as National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), ZP schools, NGOs and National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration (NIEPA).”
Principals of schools have welcomed this decision to form a think tank provided the proposals, initiatives and plans are practical. A principal of a South Mumbai school said, “It is better to involve teachers and parents because we do not want to face any opposition during the time of implementation of new proposals. Teachers are on the implementing side and parents along with students are on the receiving end so it is important to involve them in the brainstorming process.”
