Grievances galore as school HMs attend grama sabha meets

CHENNAI: To address the concerns of schools and improve the quality of education imparted, the members of the School Management Committee (SMC) and headmasters took part in the grama sabha meeting held across Tamil Nadu on Sunday.

Speaking to DT Next, K Tirupati, chief observer of SMC in the Kallakurichi district said, “In the SMC meeting held on September 30, we took a slew of resolutions that had a direct impact on the welfare of children and education. The resolutions placed before the grama sabha were heard upon and appropriate actions were assured.”

Meanwhile, pointing out the aim of including SMC members and HMs in grama sabha meetings, Tirupati added, “Upscaling the quality of education and welfare of children in schools is the goal and in doing so, involving these stakeholders is the first and notable step by the department.”

However, Tirupati further pointed out that at many meetings, he noticed teachers not submitting reports on the school’s overall performance, which is part of the rule. Also, there is a lack of knowledge on grama sabha functioning both among teachers and local body members, he says.

Some of the common resolutions placed before the grama sabhas in many districts are lack of toilet facilities at schools, desperate need to renovate dilapidated school buildings before the northeast monsoon, additional classrooms, need to address teacher’s demands and salary hike of sanitary workers from Rs 1,000 per month and so on.

Though teachers and SMC members in many districts participated in the meeting as per the directions of the School Education Department, several others failed to attend the meeting alleging a lack of prior intimation from the department.

“We were not informed about SMC members or teachers having to attend Sunday’s meeting. Our head master, who is reportedly unwell, did not appoint anyone to attend the meeting as well,” said a teacher of a government school in Chengalpattu.