Sibal to meet education ministers of UP, Bihar and Bengal today

NEW DELHI: Keen to ensure that the Right to Education doesn’t gather dust and is properly implemented, human resource development ( HRD) minister Kapil Sibal is undertaking focused meetings with key states. He will be meeting education ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. The meeting, scheduled to take place on Friday, will primarily deal with teacher-related issues in the context of the Right to Education. The other issues relating to the Act will also be taken up.

Implementing the Right to Education in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will be a challenge as both the states lack adequate teachers and schools to ensure education for every child. Reports on Demand and Supply Estimates of School Teachers and Teacher Educators (2007-08 to 2016-17) for Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, prepared by the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), paint a dismal picture.

In 2006-07, there were 6,10,189 teacher posts in UP; of these 4,31,546 were at the lower-primary and 1,78,643 at the upper-primary levels. Additional demand for lower-primary teachers was estimated at 22,256 in 2007-08. Projections for 2011-12 show that the demand for new teachers would increase by 25,384. While at the upper-primary level, the additional demand for teachers in 2007-08 is estimated to the tune of 13,804 and projections for 2011-12 are at 15,171 additional recruitments.

According to the report, the situation in Bihar was worse. The projected additional demand for teachers at the lower-primary level was estimated to be 4,731 in 2007-08, increasing to 8,282 in 2011-12. At the upper-primary stage, the projected demand for teachers was estimated at 7,039 in 2007-08 and it may go up to 7,116 in 2011-12.

The meeting with Mr Sibal takes on added significance as chief ministers of both the states have cited lack of funds as a hurdle to implementing the Right to Education.

The West Bengal situation has an added problem. The state’s laws and procedures on primary teacher recruitment are not in conformity to the the NCTE regulations and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

Last year, this anomaly had meant that over 31,000 teachers with a one-year diploma in education found themselves in a bind. The Centre had intervened to ensure that these teachers are regularised, and had asked the state government to ensure conformity between state and central laws; the West Bengal government failed to take corrective steps in their recruitment criteria and process.

Afterwards, Mr Sibal is also likely to meet the education ministers of Northeast states to iron out problem areas for implementing the Right to Education.