A four-day workshop of District Education Officers today issued a 31-point Educational Commitment Paper 2069-Bode, Bhaktapur, with ways to improve the education system and quality of education.

Publicising the commitment paper amid a programme today, Tek Narayan Panday, acting Director General, Department of Education said the DEOs were committed to improve the education sector from the local to the central level.

Panday said, “District Education Officers have committed to bring changes in the education sector. As overhauling the education sector is not possible only with their commitment, we need to motivate the concerned people from the local to the central level.”

He said that due to political pressure from various political parties at the local level, teachers and education officers were not been able to launch government programmes effectively and provide services to the needy. “We have been holding discussion with local political leaders to free the education sector of politics.”

He further said government employees at the local level also needed to improve themselves and be committed to public service for support from the central level.

The 31-point commitment included holding dialogue with the school management committees, teachers, guardians association and local people to sort out issues at the local level.

The DEOs urged District Development Committees and line agencies to monitor schools while monitoring the districts, provide identity cards to students and keep records to manage the per child funding scheme and improve the capability of teachers and other stakeholders.

They stressed awareness raising programmes on misuse of authority by government officials, defamation of government offices, degradation of education in the districts, closure of Early Childhood Development Centres, unregistered school and assurance of scholarship quota of students who are actually eligible for it. The workshop was held in Bode, Bhaktapur from August 24 to 27.

source: The Himalayan Times,29 August 2012