HRD plans to rope in NRIs to teach as volunteers

A month-and-a-half after announcing the opening of teaching avenues for volunteer teachers in government schools, the human resource development ministry is looking at the option of roping in NRIs and the Indian diaspora to provide part-time voluntary services in government schools.Government schools are falling short of 9.5 lakh teachers. To narrow down the student-teacher ratio, the ministry is trying to reach voluntary teachers, through a mobile app in collaboration with MyGov.While critics look at it as a violation of the Right to Education act and a ploy to engage RSS volunteers through the scheme, the ministry says the idea is to make all possible resources available to students and to provide an international level of exposure and new learning tools to underprivileged children.The mobile app which will be available from the first week of April, will have a separate link for NRIs to register themselves in this program. While they will not be involved in day-to-day teaching, the government is looking up to these non-resident volunteers in activities like book reading, recitation, teaching theater, teaching them spellings, grammar, art and craft. "These NRIs will be able to register with us and can contribute when they are in India. They can choose the school from our list and update the concerned school about the activity and their timings," explained a senior officer of the ministry.Criticising the government's idea of bringing in foreign volunteers, educationist Anita Rampal accused the government for informalising education and weakening the school education system. "These schemes will only benefit the young people who want to aspire to work in the social sector. They can work in these institutions, flaunt it in their resumes and go abroad to seek jobs in the social sector," she said.The professor also suggested that instead of getting random national and international volunteers, the government should use its machinery like SCERTs to formally rope in volunteers. "Let those aspiring to volunteer acquire basic training. The states should maintain the data and use their services as and when required," added Rampal.Besides NRIs, the government is also looking at retired school teachers or other members of the civil society to participate in the program.In a meeting that the HRD minister conducted with its state partners in the month of February, 18 states have agreed to participate in the project. To begin with the ministry will pick up some schools on a pilot basis.Sector experts also feel that instead of looking to untrained NRI volunteers, the states should comply with the RTE act and expedite the process of filling up the vacancies. Under the RTE act all teaching posts were to be filled by 2015. "Instead of focusing on filling in these posts, the government is seeking volunteers. This is defeating the whole concept of RTE," said Ambrish Rai of the RTE Forum. Rai also questioned the government's intention of getting affluent NRIs into the picture, when there is a fleet of unemployed educated youth available in the country. "There are young people waiting to get jobs. Why don't we train them and fill the shortfall? Getting NRIs is no solution to the education problem," he added.