State Govt forms panel to set up accreditation body for schools


* The committee includes representatives of two of biggest educational groups in Vidarbha -- Somalwar Shikshan Sanstha (Nagpur) and Shri Shivaji Shikshan Sanstha (Amravati) apart from Nagpur Municipal Commissioner

By Kartik Lokhande 

If everything goes well, soon, one may expect the State Government to have a State Assessment and Accreditation Council (SAAC), an accreditation body for schools in Maharashtra. To pave way for forming the SAAC, School Education and Sports Department has appointed a committee comprising experts from the field of education and administrative officers.
During state-wide inspection of schools on various parameters including number of students on roll, aid given, aid utilised, quality of education being imparted to students, teachers’ presence, attendance of students, etc was conducted. After compiling the results of the inspection, the Government itself had come to a conclusion that many schools had shown ‘bogus’ students on roll to get Government aid. Quality of education also had occupied centre-stage of debate. Against this backdrop, the Government felt the need to have an accreditation and assessment mechanism for schools. The Government had given in-principle nod to forming the accreditation and assessment body for Government aided and unaided schools in Maharashtra, in the year 2013.
On Wednesday, School Education and Sports Department issued a circular announcing appointment of a committee to prepare a manual for the proposed SAAC. The decision to appoint the committee was taken in a meeting of experts held in Mumbai on April 16, 2014. The committee will be headed by Commissioner (Education) and will have 15 members. These members include representatives of prominent educational institutions/groups in the State namely Shivaji Shikshan Sanstha (Amravati), Somalwar Shikshan Sanstha (Nagpur), Rayat Shikshan Sanstha (Satara), Anjuman Islam High School (Mumbai), Holy Name High School (Mumbai), Kamraj High School (Mumbai), National Urdu High School (Mumbai).
The representatives of ICSE, IB, CBSE or schools affiliated to thhem also will be absorbed as members. Other members include Nagpur Municipal Commissioner, Social Welfare Commissioner, Additional Commissioner (Tribal Development Department, Nashik), Headmaster of Mumbai Municipal Corporation School, Chief Executive Officer of Thane Zilla Parishad; Arundhati Chavan, President, Palak-Shikshak Sangh, Mumbai.
The committee has been entrusted with the responsibility of studying various aspects related to proper and effective assessment of schools, and submitting its report within a month. It has been asked to frame parameters for accreditation on the basis of study of work of National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) for colleges, geographical location and financial stability of schools, number of schools etc. Once formed, the SAAC will rank the schools in Maharashtra on various parameters including quality of education imparted, attendance of students, boys-to-girls ratio, etc. It will award points to schools for gradation and ranking.
The committee will also have to study if colleges that have earned NAAC ranking could be used as ‘SAAC Mentors’ for schools. Further, the SAAC ranking has been asked to be linked to benefits being extended to students and teachers. An 11-member committee headed by Commissioner (Education), with Joint Director of State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) as Member Secretary, will co-ordinate with the study group formed to frame manual for proposed SAAC.

Move necessary for qualitative
improvement in school
education: Somalwar P P Somalwar, Secretary of Somalwar Shikshan Sanstha, Nagpur, welcomed the move of the Government. “It is a great move and necessary for qualitative improvement in school education as well as of students,” he told ‘The Hitavada’. According to him, such an assessment and accreditation body was needed to expose the students to education ambience at school level itself, as they found it difficult to cope with when they got admitted to colleges. As colleges are monitored by NAAC, there is different set of evaluation and standards and many students face problems at psychological level to get adjusted to these.
According to Somalwar, the SAAC will go a long way in defining the future of school education in Maharashtra. “If my institute chooses me to represent on the committee, I would love to contribute meaningfully,” he added. Somalwar said that he had got a call regarding constitution of the committee earlier in the day.

SAAC will help empower
students: Wardhane
Shyam Wardhane, Nagpur Municipal Commissioner, is the only Municipal Commissioner in the State to have been appointed as member on the committee. He told ‘The Hitavada’ that it was a great honour for him and his pet initiative ‘Mission Parivartan’. During his stint as administrative officer at Pune, Sangli, and now Nagpur, he has been implementing ‘Mission Parivartan’ to empower students to learn and remember the mathematical tables up to 200. “Students have to be empowered in real sense for their qualitative improvement,” he said. In his opinion, ‘no fail policy’ (promoting students up to Class VIII) has affected students’ performance. Hence, assessment and accreditation of schools is a necessary step, he added. 

(25-06-14)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chanda boy Dr Vipin Itankar is UPSC topper in State

Image
12-06-14 * Efficiency and effectiveness are the keywords for the topper * Nagpur lads Aawesh Titarmare, Arpit Gudadhe, and Ankur Meshram also bring laurels to the region in UPSC examination results By Kartik Lokhande  “I am blessed. Vipin is extremely hard-working, dedicated and a confident guy I have ever met in my life. He was always at top since college days. I was confident that he would be in top ten in the UPSC examination as well.” (Centre) Dr Vipin Itankar, who secured 14th rank nationally and topped Maharashtra in UPSC Civil Services Examination-2013 results, celebrating with his family members in Chandigarh on Thursday. This is how Dr Shalini, wife of Dr Vipin Vithoba Itankar, reacted on learning that Vipin had emerged as the Maharashtra topper in Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. Talking to ‘The Hitavada’ over telephone from Chandigarh, where Vipin and Shalini work in Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, both exp...
Read more

Hinganghat: Here rests the great surveyor of India...

Image
  By Kartik Lokhande  Often, the work of explorers lives on but they get buried in the history. This is exactly what has happened in case of Lt Col William Lambton. The man credited with initiating one of the greatest scientific activities in the world -- The Great Trigonometrical Survey of India -- lays buried at a place now known as ‘Kala Gota’ amid a crowded locality behind Bus Stand in the town of Hinganghat in Wardha district. Sadly, the memorial of this great surveyor, whose work led to measuring the highest point on Earth 50 years later, has become a victim of neglect. And, surprisingly, not many know about it and the great significance of Hinganghat in the landmark survey.  Lambton Memorial, known locally as 'Kala Gota' in Hinganghat. (Pic: Kartik Lokhande) Lt Col William Lambton The benchmark stone of Great Trigonometrical Survey, in the courtyard of a house behind Bus Stand in Hinganghat. (Pic by Kartik Lokhande) Lt Col Will...
Read more

Eknath Ranade, the man with ‘Rock’ solid determination

* November 2015 marks the culmination of birth centenary celebrations of Eknath Ranade, a son of Vidarbha who made it the cause of his life to realise the dream of Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari By Kartik Lokhande  It was 1962, a year that had stirred the atmosphere in the country owing to several factors including a war with China. In January 1963, India was to celebrate the birth centenary of Swami Vivekananda. In down south, in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, tension was in the air over Swami Vivekananda’s memorial. There were attempts by some to claim the Rock off the shores of Tamil Nadu where Vivekananda meditated. A firm leadership is required to navigate through little storms in the journey towards realisation of a goal. Eknath Ranade, a man born in village Timtala in Amravati district of Vidarbha region in Maharashtra, was destined to be that firm leader as far as Swami Vivekananda’s memorial at Kanyakumari. Born on November 19, 1914, Eknath Ranade was the ...
Read more