KOHIMA, DECEMBER 5: The Nagaland Government is working on implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 by including even the private parties, said Principal Director of School Education, Shanavas C.
Speaking during the day-long panel discussion on National Education Policy, organized by Nagaland Education Association (NEA), in collaboration with the Directorate of School Education, within the premises of the Department here today, he said the huge disparity between rural and urban students is clearly visible in Nagaland but the NEP, which has come after a gap of more than 25 years, seeks to do away such disparities and the state Government is working on measures to implement the policy by including all stakeholders.
Shanavas was of the view that the prime challenge would be inclusion of the pre-primary level of education into the mainstream but since private schools in Nagaland already has the Classes A and B starting early education at the age of 4, it would require adding another year to include the pre-primary level into the formal education structure.
On overcoming the dropout rates in the State, the Principal Director said the Department is trying to come up with strategies for the School Authority System and State Schools Standard Authority.
“Dropouts are a reality in Nagaland and we have to work to do away with it,” he said while maintaining that especially in the primary and elementary levels there are lots of bogus enrollment entries in the rural areas.
Towards this, he said, like the employee code for teachers to check transfer and posting of teachers, the Department is contemplating to have a unique identity for the students so that even as they shift the school they could be tracked.
Once a proper monitoring system is put in place, the dropout rates would also come down, he hoped.
On Teachers Employability Test (TET), he said though it is in place but is not being fulfilled in many of the recruitment processes. Nonetheless, he said in the NEP it is one of the important criteria for recruitment of teachers and the State Government will have to follow it.
In Nagaland, the last TET was conducted in 2014-15, which will have to be conducted regularly, he said.
On the need for teachers to attend 50 hours of Compulsory Professional Development, he said this would require enhancement of the infrastructure in the State, including resolving issues of connectivity.
Retired Director of SCERT Nagaland, Viprolhou Kesiezie, while lamenting that the education system in the state is ‘rotten’ and it is the creation of political leaders, requested the Department of School Education to take serious action and put a stop to such unwanted creation for the future of the State.
He suggested that the Department should strictly stick to the recommendation of NEP to conduct TET.
Other panelist were Advisor, All Nagaland Private Schools Association, Pheluopfelie Kesiezie, Professor & Head Department of Education, Nagaland University, Rakesh Rai and Chairman of NBSE Asano Sekhose while the topics covered were NEP on School Education, NEP on Higher Education, NEP on management of private schools, NEP on Teacher Education and NEP on Examination and Evaluation.
NEA Vice President Dr Bweyhungle Khing, delivering the keynote address, said NEP 2020 seeks to change the entire gamut of the structure of Indian education. It also seeks to reform and reorganize the structure of the education system from early childhood education to university education, she said, adding that it also stresses on reforming professional education, adult education and lifelong education, use of technology in education, online and digital education, promotion of Indian languages, art and culture.
The main vision of NEP is to enable all the learners to achieve full human potentials by providing high quality education regardless of high or low, rich or poor, she said.
Khing said in order to make our education system a successful one, each and everyone is responsible and not only students, teachers, parents but all the educationists, administrators, politicians, social workers.
In this, she called upon all to have a deep understanding about the policy and workout measures to make our education system as the best and most reputed. “Let us nurture and mould our educational institutions as our own home… Let us reform, renew and shape our education system as our own child and make our society a beautiful place,” said the NEP Vice President.
Summarizing the discussion, NEA General Secretary Dr Visiezolie Yashü said it was deliberated to have a National Mission for Foundation Literacy and Numeracy on priority basis, for which the Government should formulate suitable policy and remedial methods thereof to be adopted.
Early Childhood Care Education facilitates better performance in foundation literacy therefore the panel discussion concluded that it is imperative to continue pre-primary education before formal education.
It also suggested that the Government should initiate formation of a coordination committee on Early Childhood Education.
NEA President Dr Zavise Rume moderated the panel discussion.
(Page News Service)
