Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, FEBRUARY 10
The need to develop organization to facilitate educational planning in a decentralized framework has been recognized. The State Institute of Educational Management and Training (SIEMAT) has been envisaged as one of such changes that would provide professional educational planning and management to all institutional heads and planners at the state, district, and the sub-divisional levels.
With a hope to bringing about transformation and improvement in educational planning and management skills at all levels, the changes are envisaged to affect the quality of education particularly in the government schools of Nagaland. The newly-constructed building of the SIEMAT under the State Council of Educational Research & Training was inaugurated on Wednesday, February 10 by the minister for School Education and SCERT, Yitachu Pfitu.
In a programme that was conducted in the conference hall of the SIEMAT, Pfitu remarked that the people of the state need a complete change of mindset and attitude ‘in order to bring about change and address all the issues before us.’ He said changes can take place only when there is a concerted effort from all sections of the people, and working together with a common vision and goals.
He pointed to the role and responsibility of teachers who he said can bring change in the lives of the younger generation; the politician said that teachers also have the great task of transforming and shaping the students of the state. He pressed on the need for teachers to equip themselves with the ‘latest available knowledge and information and imparting the same to the students.’
Appreciating the various national flagships programmes that are meant to strengthen education under the educational program SSA and various others by the Government of India, the minister is optimistic that the SIEMAT would be used ‘as per its purpose and objectives and bring great impact to the teachers of the state.’ He also stressed on the need for better coordination among the various departments to bring about positive changes in the educational sector.
Vipralhou Kesiezie, the director of SCERT said in his keynote address that having realized the urgent need to ‘establish an institution,’ a concept was prepared by the SCERT in collaboration with the National University of Educational Planning and Administration, in New Delhi in the year 2010. The proposal was then officially endorsed by the then minister for SCERT. The executive committee of the state mission of the SSA of Nagaland approved funds for the construction of the SIEMAT building to be attached to the SCERT.
Kesiezie also said that the objectives of SIEMAT was to ‘plan, organize and sponsor programmes for training of educational planners and managers, strengthen the managerial skills of educational administrators, monitor and supervise the educational institutions relating to educational planning and management and to emerge as the state level resource centre for disseminating good practices.’
SIEMAT, he added, also plans to collaborate with national institutions to strengthen capacity building at the state level and facilitate and encourage in undertaking research studies particularly action research.
Guest of honour for the event, FP Solo, the commissioner and secretary for SCERT said ‘Our state has the notorious distinction of having a large number of untrained teachers.’ He explained that the state has not been able to achieve the target of training untrained teachers within 5 years after the coming into force the Right to Education Act of 2009.
Stressing on the need to achieve the objective of quality education in the state, Solo emphasize on the need to focus attention and building a sound and strong foundation at the primary levels, to which he noted with concern is the most neglected sector in the state.
Appreciating SCERT for coming up with SIEMAT, Solo expressed hope it will deliver the goods’, fulfil its mission and bring about quality education in the state with the availability of talents, expertise, experience and committed officers in the department.’
Thejawelie Gregory, mission director of the SSA, gave a brief background of the construction of SIEMAT. He said that the ministry of Human Resource Development has a provision of Rs 300 lakh for the establishment of SIEMAT under the flagship scheme SSA. Accordingly an amount of Rs 230 lakh for said use was approved, he said.
It was also informed that the SIEMAT would be launching its first orientation for headmasters next month i.e., March. It plans to organize 6 programmes during the year 2016-2017. Proposal for said training programmes will be taken up in the next meeting with the ministry, it was informed.
