Education in Ukhrul district had become a mere earning asset without catering the purpose of its existence. Invisible schools, which are existent only in government records, with the cognizance of the department whose inspectors cover these malpractices or give table report without verifications, continues to dot the education scenario. Fictitious enrolments to manufacture the performance of the t
eachers and profit from Midday meal and other entitlements (uniforms grants, school bags, textbooks, teachers grant, school grant, maintenance grant etc.) from the government continue to be rampantly practised. Community Privatisation of the government schools was the only option to survive and sustain at the village level. Subletting of teaching/Proxy was as grave as 81%. And interestingly these were seen as a better option to very irregular teachers and complete absenteeism. Some teachers were found to be absent since recruitment. The infrastructure were pathetic, some defunct schools have been converted into cow sheds and storehouses while some lay deserted and decorated with wild weeds. Toilets are built without septic tanks and additional class rooms at the size of toilets. Some toilets and mid-day meal kitchens are built at the head teacher’s residence yet it remains unreported. Alcoholic drunk teachers and mentally unsound teachers continue without any form of accountability and filtering. Apathy for the disables, drop outs and never enrolled children remains without any sensitivity for inclusive education. It was in such a backdrop that the initiative to support the implementation of Right to Education was evolved and Ad hoc Monitoring Team was constituted. The primary task was to visit all the 344 schools in the district and conduct a Right to Education Act awareness meeting at the village level. It has been an extremely challenging work given the inaccessibility of roads, presence of various non-state actors and the upfront confrontation of all the defaulters in the department. Somehow the larger objective of providing education to all the children has continued to motivate the team for the last 8 months. So far we have been able to profile almost all the government schools in the district and trained all the 14 members of School Management & Development Committees besides covering all villages on Right to education Orientation. The purpose of this forum is to invite suggestions/idea and volunteers towards revival of government schools in the district.
