Gujarat Govt Sets Up Call Centre To “Keep An Eye” On Over 1.95 Lakh School Teachers

The Gujarat government has come up with a new “real-time technology enabled” surveillance plan to “keep an eye” on over 1.95 lakh school teachers following the new academic session starting on June 10, reported Indian Express.

This is aimed at improving the quality of education received by students across schools by ensuring that teachers stick to the tasks they have been assigned on a day to day basis.

According to officials, the system was devised after it was concluded by several reports and discussions that poor monitoring of teachers resulted in absenteeism and “non-seriousness”.

How Does The System Work?

A tech-equipped “command and control centre” is being set up in Gandhinagar which will include a call centre. Teachers from government schools across Gujarat will be called on a daily basis. Once they answer the call, they will be asked a series of questions from a template, including where the location of their assignment is, what task they have been assigned, and who assigned it. Further, those who are on leave will have to provide details such as the number of days and the approval authority.

The teachers will be provided with a GPS-enabled tablet and tracked through geofencing. This will trigger an alert when a mobile device enters or exits a specified area. Not just teachers, but even those who monitor teachers will be monitored.

The command centre will initially comprise 50 dedicated members, who will be hired in equal numbers from the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the office of the Director, Primary Education (DPE).

A call will also be set up and run under Vinod Rao,

“We do not want to follow the carrot and stick policy for teachers but instil a feeling among them that their work is being monitored on a realtime basis and there is no escape from it,” said Vinod Rao Principal Secretary, Education to Indian Express.

Teachers Being Monitored In Real Time

According to the staff at the centre, about 500 calls are made in a day. However, once the centre officially begins operations, the number is expected to reach 1,250.

Online data collected by other means will be used to verify the call centre feedback to keep track of teachers, principals, and cluster and block resource centre coordinators, at different hours of the day.

Depending on the projects or activity that is carried out in a school, the questions will keep changing on a regular basis.

This system is also being treated as a solution to instances of some teachers “cheating”.

“Earlier, a government school teacher or co-ordinator would not answer a phone call from their superiors. Instead, they would call back after collating information expected from them or after reaching the school they were supposed to be in. We could not question them because of a government resolution that does not allow teachers to use mobile phones in class,” an Education Department official said.

A senior government official said that to answer the feedback call, teachers are going to be exempted from this mandatory clause.

Rao said that this new system will have “a positive impact on the teaching fraternity”.

Also Read: Govt Schools In Karnataka Continue To Face An Acute Shortage Of Teachers