Journalism of Courage
Karnataka School Education and Literacy Minister BC Nagesh said Monday that the state government would set up a commission to look into the irregularities and corruption charges levelled against the education department.
Speaking on the occasion of Teacher’s Day 2022 at Vidhana Soudha, he also ordered a strict vigil against fake no-objection certificates (NOC) issued to private schools and also said that action would be taken against education officials involved in corruption.
“There have been several instances where fake NOCs are obtained from the education department by private schools. The schools are obtaining them illegally through low-rank officials in the education department. Moreover, there have been allegations against education officials involved in corruption. Keeping all this in mind, the government will set up a commission to look into these allegations and take strict action against the violators,” said Nagesh.
He warned the deputy director of public instruction officials (DDPI) and Block education officials (BEOs) accused of corruption in the previous government.
Nagesh stated that the irregularities in the 2014-15 teachers’ recruitment process during the Congress regime are being probed by the criminal investigation department (CID).
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who was also part of the Teacher’s Day event, announced separate toilets for boys and girls in every school by August 15 next year. Bommai announced that an additional 4,000 anganwadis will be built in the coming days.
Raising concerns over the shortage of teachers in government schools, Bommai said that the government is planning to recruit as many teachers in the preceding year equivalent to the number of teachers who are on the verge of retirement in the succeeding year. The education department has already recruited 15,000 teachers for the academic year 2022-23.
The government marked Teacher’s Day by honouring teachers with a state award from different districts of Karnataka and also awarding schools selected under the prestigious category.
Basavaraj Sungari, a government school teacher said” “The government needs to focus more on professional skill development among teachers especially in using digital technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, 3D, and 4D to teach. In this way, we can enhance experiential learning for students. Moreover, there needs to be more awareness in North Karnataka to encourage the use of toilets and maintain hygienic conditions in schools.”
Jagadeesh A, another government school teacher, said: “Transportation for teachers in rural areas is a big challenge. I wish the government could help bridge the transportation gap for teachers who have to travel long distances in rural areas to reach school. The government should also address the shortage of teachers by considering subject-wise ratio instead of the student-teacher ratio. Otherwise, the burden on teachers is heavy. There is also a growing demand among teachers, especially female teachers, who are demanding separate toilets for them.”
