SHILLONG, MAY 2: The Khasi Students Union (KSU) has asked the state government to consider setting up of a regulatory board to regulate and monitor the functioning of the private schools and colleges in the state.
In a memorandum submitted to the state education minister Lahkmen Rymbui here on Wednesday, KSU Education Cell chairman Readyon Stone Nongrum said, “We urged the government to set a Regulatory Body similar to the Meghalaya Private Universities Regulatory Board which will regulate and monitor the functions of the different schools and colleges in the state.”
He also suggested that another alternative would be the legislation of an Act that shall regulate and monitor the collection of fees by all educational institutions similar to the Acts that prevail in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Delhi.
The KSU has highlighted five points behind the need for a regulatory body which include the exorbitant increase in the fee structure of students by private institutions, frequent change of syllabus for classes I to VI, practice of purchasing school books and uniforms, increase in the fee of admission forms.
According to Nongrum, the increase in the fee structure has irked the parents and students community at large and the insensitivity of the school authorities to understand the plight of the parents has raised a lot of doubts about the intention in which the school have been set up.
Asked, the KSU education cell chairman said that the minister has assured the delegation that the state government would set up a similar board to look into the matter.
With regards to suggestion to constitute a body of experts to review the textbooks of the MBOSE following the detection of spelling and grammatical errors besides factual mistakes, he said the Rymbui informed that the government would soon set up a Review Board to review the textbooks of the MBOSE.
Meanwhile, the KSU also urged the government to ensure transparency in the recruitment of teachers especially in the adhoc and deficit schools, which the usual practice is based on the recommendation of the school managing committees (SMCs), citing such procedure only encourages nepotism.
On this, Nongrum said that the minister assured that the government will make it mandatory for teachers to appear the Meghalaya Teachers Eligibility Test for appointment to around 800 vacant posts of Lower Primary to Higher Secondary.
Besides demanding the setting up of government colleges in all the districts, the union also urged the government upgrade the existing polytechnic institutions into full fledged engineering institutions and setting up of coaching cum counseling centres for different competitive examinations in all the districts.
It further suggested the need to re-introduce Khasi subject as a compulsory subject and not as an elective subject especially when the state is pushing for inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eight Schedule of the Constitution.
Nongrum said that the minister has assured that the government will look into all the 17 points submitted by the union.
By Our Reporter
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