EMIS data collection overburdens teachers
The ongoing data collection process at schools for the Education Management and Information System (EMIS), which envisages the creation of a comprehensive database on teachers, schools and students has become a headache for teachers in government schools.
The system, if it comes into full swing, will enable the government to closely monitor schools, keep track of students and ensure that welfare measures, including scholarships and grants, reach the needy on time.
But what has bothered the government schools is that the onus of collecting data has been put on their shoulders without any funds to meet the expenses.
They say a separate team or a private agency similar to Aadahar card data collection should be put in place for the purpose.
“We have to upload the students’ photo with his profile. Most schools have no computer facility to take photos using a web camera. A professional photographer charges `15-20 per photo. A school has hundreds of students and this expense has to be borne by the headmaster as no funds are available for the purpose,” said a school headmaster.
The Department of School Education has asked schools to arrange for photos using teachers’ mobile phone or web cameras. But most teachers are not in a position to take photos with the required quality and pixel.
Teachers are spending money and time at Internet cafes to enter and upload data. “While some cafes charge on an hourly basis, some help us to enter data and collect `15-20 per student profile. This turns into a huge sum. Due to power cuts we cannot update on time and when there is power the server may be down and updating cannot be done,” says a teacher.
The lack of proper planning was clear as the data entry was converted to offline from online. While the department claims that 95 per cent of EMIS works are over teachers say it’s not the case.
“Works might have begun at all schools but is not complete because of many factors. Some students are yet to submit full details like Aadhar card number and blood groups,” said Lakshmi, a school teacher.
“If we share the plight with officials they ask us to give it to them in writing that we cannot complete the process. A government servant cannot do it so easily. The solution has to come at policy level from Chennai,” a representative from the Tamil Nadu Graduate Teachers Association said.
While some teachers spent from their pockets, expenses have forced some schools to collect money from children. Private schools follow a different style. “We call photographer for group photos which we usually take in a year and get the other photo done by him at the same time,” said R Vishalakshi, president, Tamil Nadu Private School Association.
While everyone says that the project is a good initiative, the modus operandi should have been different. In years to come all these problems should be sorted out, they feel.
No comments:
Post a Comment