Correspondent
KOHIMA, AUG 22 (NPN): Nagaland’s School Education department is looking to address the shortage of postgraduate teachers in key subjects, strengthen attendance monitoring and introduce a digital system for maintaining teachers’ attendance and leave records, advisor for School Education Kekhrielhoulie Yhome said on Friday.
Speaking to media persons on the sidelines of a programme in Kohima, Yhome also clarified the position on Sanskrit in schools, saying its implementation depends on the respective education boards.
On Sanskrit, Yhome said Nagaland has schools affiliated to different boards, including the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE), ICSE and CBSE.
He said Sanskrit was not compulsory under NBSE, which has its own language policy, including compulsory mother tongue.
“Every Naga born ultimately learns so many languages. So our hands are full,” he said. However, schools affiliated to ICSE and CBSE would have to follow the mandates of their respective boards.
On teacher shortage, Yhome said the department was facing a shortage of postgraduate teachers in Mathematics and Science, including Chemistry, Organic and Inorganic Chemistry, and Physics.
He said the government had recognised the issue and, following a Cabinet decision, would undertake emergency recruitment, with the procedure to be decided by the government.
Yhome said the shortage was partly due to unfilled posts under the backward quota.
He acknowledged opposition from some public organisations to recruitment from outside Nagaland but said the government would have no choice if sufficient teachers were unavailable, particularly for technical subjects.
On teacher attendance, Yhome said the department was taking several measures to ensure government teachers attend schools and teach students.
He said an attendance system was already in place, though there were still instances of teachers not attending classes.
The department is also working with the IT Department to develop an integrated IT system and mobile application to maintain teachers’ attendance and leave records. Yhome said all forms of leave would have to be entered into the system, enabling the department to monitor attendance and leave more effectively.
Addressing concerns over internet connectivity, he said attendance would be automatically updated once the internet connection was restored, reducing the need for constant monitoring.
Yhome also highlighted the financial burden of medical reimbursement and leave encashment. He said teachers who retired last year alone accounted for around Rs. 39 crore under the two heads, while the Government of Nagaland had incurred around Rs. 1,038 crore across all departments on medical reimbursement and leave encashment over the past five years.
He said there had also been instances where teachers’ attendance records were not properly registered before retirement, after which they sought full leave encashment.