Guwahati, Feb 12 : Assam will have to spend over Rs 1100 crore and recruit nearly 1.10 lakh teachers if it wants to implement the Right to Education (RTE) Act in true spirit at the primary education level.
Hitting out at the state government’s alleged apathy towards the education sector, particularly the primary section, teachers’ and students’ bodies today pointed to a myriad of hurdles that have to be negotiated before the RTE Act can actually benefit the students.
The decision to rearrange classes by including class five in Lower Primary and class eight in Middle School category came under severe criticism.
Addressing a press meet a day after a meeting of teachers’ bodies and All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), AASU president Shankar Ray said the decision to rearrange the classes was passed on December 31 last and had to be implemented from January 1, without the ground work being done.
''When the RTE Act was signed, it was promised that all infrastructure would be ready in six months. But almost a year on, nothing is ready,'' he said.
The teachers’ bodies informed that the state has at least 7,425 single-teacher schools and an additional 4600 two-teacher schools.
Considering that a primary school must have at least six teachers, the state education sector has requirement of additional 1,10,219 teachers.
The cost towards building of extra class-rooms and procurement of desk-benches and blackboards would amount to about Rs 1161 crore.
The joint forum of teachers and students announced of staging a demonstration in front of the Raj Bhawan on February 15 pressing for their demands of resolution of problems facing the education sector.
The resolutions of yesterday’s meeting will also be forwarded to the Chief Minister and education minister today.
