By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: The beat officers (BO) of various non-Marathi especially Urdu medium schools, run by Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), do not know Urdu language but they inspect the educational proceedings going on there. Being drawn his attention by NGOs and media the Municipal commissioner has assured that BOs will be appointed as per the medium of schools.
Various NGOs of Municipal teachers and Shazia Azmi, the BMC house leader of Samajwadi Party recently raised their voice against the injustice meted out to the non-Marathi medium schools.
‘Prior to August 2006 the language was considered while appointment of the beat officers. The BOs who have full command over the language would visit the schools, examine notebooks of the students, ask them some questions and evaluate the education standard in the school. But now (after August 2006) the majority of the officers appointed as BOs for Urdu, Gujarati, Telgu, and Tamil etc. medium schools are unaware of the languages. How can they inspect the educational standard?’ Shazia has said in a notice of motion in the BMC house.
The duty of a beat officer is to take care of the educational development in schools. One BO supervises nearly 200 teachers and examines their performance in teaching.
The zonal secretary of Municipal teachers NGO ‘Barihan Mumbai Mahanagarpalika Shikchhak Sabha’ Shaikh Nasiruddin said, ‘Earlier the appointment of the BOs was based on language. But for some years they are selected on ward basis. A language the teachers of which are in majority in the ward gets the beat officer. There are about 205 schools run by BMC but many of them have BOs unaware of the language.’
‘Since the BOs are unable to find out the shortcomings due to their ignorance of the concerned language the teachers in non-Marathi medium schools have no fear of being questioned. It may harm the education of students.’
The mayor of Mumbai Shubha Raul, Municipal Commissioner Jairaj Phatak and additional Municipal commissioner MV Sangle have assured NGOs about the appointment of BOs as per the medium of the schools from the next year.