With municipal schools spread across Mumbai, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is the biggest educator in the city. When it comes to training its own teachers and students, the BMC's work is far from satisfactory, finds a Praja Foundation report released recently. BMC in 2013-14 couldn't manage to spend a single rupee on training courses for its teachers, says the Praja report. Nor did BMC spend anything on special classes for talented students of municipal schools.
Overall, the BMC had allotted Rs. 23 crore for education-related expenses in 2013-14. The report shows that only 28% of this amount was utilised. This confirms the widespread misgivings about municipal schools in the public mind.
In other areas like training camps or weekend camps, 98% of the amount is unspent. 76% of the amount earmarked for excursions, 99% of the amount meant for parents' and teachers' meetings and 90% of the amount meant for a students' festival-Balkotsav- is unspent.
While 82% of the amount for scouting related rallies and functions is unspent, so is 67% of the amount for sporting events, 75% of the amount for physical training for teachers, all of the amount meant for competitions for pupils, 66% of the sum meant for training programmes, all of the amount for craft competitions, and 78% of the amount meant for bus fare to students.
But the BMC is inclined to dispute Praja's findings. Shambhavi Jogi, education officer, BMC, said, "Teachers are given training throughout the year and on various subjects. The Balkotsav also takes place once a year for BMC students. We also give the bus fare to students who ride in BEST buses. We don't know how they (Praja) have got their information and what their method of research is."
Vinod Shelar, chairman of civic education committee, said: "Last time when they released their research about the dropout rate of students in civic schools, it did not match with the information that I got from the civic education department. I will have to check about this information too with the department."
Milind Mhaske, project director, Praja Foundation said: "Though the amount allocated for these education-related expenses is comparatively less, Rs 23 crore, if planned and spent well it could have improved the quality of education for BMC students."
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