Approval board flags vacancies in SCERT in Chandigarh
Various issues including vacancies in State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Chandigarh were flagged during the Project Approval Board (PAB) meeting held to consider the annual working budget for Samagra Shiksha for UT.
This is an annual meeting held with officials of the UT education department with the central government regarding grants to be given to the city. The meeting was chaired by the secretary of the department of school education and literacy, Union ministry of education. While the meeting was held on March 17, the minutes were released on Wednesday.
As per the report, there is a vacancy of academic positions as per state sanctioned post in the SCERT. 'Considering the important role of the institution in capacity building of teachers, the vacant positions of the SCERT need to be filled up on priority to strengthen it. The UT to share the details of the action taken with department of school education and literacy,' it was noted.
Following a new provision by the ministry, the UT will have to do an internal analysis on the redistribution of budget allocation in line with National Education Policy (NEP) recommendations for elementary, secondary and teacher education while submitting AWP proposals under Samagra Shiksha. An ideal ratio of 65:25:10 will be targeted for budget allocation.
Under PAB approvals for 2024-25, 100% pendency of infrastructure components such as ICT labs were approved but have not been constructed. The UT was advised to prioritise and expedite the execution of pending infrastructure works approved under earlier PABs.
The UT has also been urged to accelerate the processes of screening, identification, assessment and certification of children with special needs (CWSN) in coordination with relevant line departments, and to ensure accurate categorisation and mapping of these children. 'Efforts must be made to ensure that every CWSN child is supported to complete secondary/vocational education, through targeted interventions based on individual learning levels and disability profiles. Additionally, the state must prioritise capacity building of general teachers in inclusive education-preferably through RCI-approved bridge courses to create a more supportive and inclusive classroom environment,' it was further observed.
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