Workshop on EMIS for Fata,FRs schools’ teachers held

PESHAWAR: The Fata education development programme arranged a two- day workshop for Fata and FRs state-run schools teachers on “Data Utilization and Computation of EFA and DMG indicators” here in a private hotel on Sunday.

Mr Salahuddin,dr Dawood Shah and Miss Gul Rukh were the resource persons who explained on performance management and education management systems in detailed. The workshop was attended by 25 senior teachers and clusters in-charges including three females from Fata and FRs regions.

Gul Rukh, the Fata Secretariat Edcuation component official shared her experience said that how could be conducted annual schools’ census to collect the right data for further planning. She asked the participants to do away the errors they did while filling the forms.

“The teach would be awarded cash prize and other honorary certificates those who give outstanding performance in the coming days while reporting and working at their respective schools”,Gul urged the cluster in-charges. She added that working with them in the program would be paid.

While explaining the purpose and scope of NEP, Fazal Manan, Consultant with GIZ, said the Directorate of Education and teachers from FATA, with the help of GIZ, made FATA Education Sector Plan (ESP) that will ensure identification and prioritization of needs to be addressed in a phased manner. 

“The objective of the workshop was to explain the planning and monitoring process to ensure access to education, improve quality of education, and reduce gender gaps, increase efficiency and institute information based planning and implementation”, she said.

Salahuddin said in order to ensure efficiency, clusters comprising representatives from 5-7 schools, have been formed which will be responsible for monitoring and evaluation of schools to insure quality of education for the children leaning at the state-run schools.

Dr Dawood through his presentation explained his points through power point talked on the utility of the workshop participants. He said it was a great opportunity to get in touch with all the officials and discuss problems and come up with plans to solve them accordingly.

Dawood talked about the Education Management and Information System(EMIS).He said it would be an authentic data which could be utilized for the better performance of the staff if the participants(clusters in-charges) honestly fill it. He added that the workshop was a great learning opportunity to discuss about the EMIS and its uses. He said that the form was developed to verify and disseminate the data without any false data which would save time and national wealth.

Manawar Khan,a participant of the workshop, said that they had been given extra duty while the officials did not even appreciated their hard work. “I am heading my schools and also performing duty as cluster in-charge which is a tough task but no recognition from the government side”,Manawar complained. He added that though they were overburdened but no such powers were delegated to them to take action for the betterment of the education system if they found anyone guilty.

Shomaila Bib,a female cluster in Charge, said that the workshop would be more fruitful for them as they would learn the technicalities of the forms to be filled. She said smart phone being given to them would reduce the communication gap between them and the concern officials at the higher level. She hoped that such EMIS system would help increase education ratio in the region.

Mr Ishtyaq Ahmad, a GIZ employee said they have a series of training workshops under which they would train 1,000 senior teachers. He said 150 of them are already trained and assigned them their job. Ahmad claimed that 120 more teachers would be trained in the coming months this year.

The GIZ official urged the participants to work hard so that quality of education could be insured.

The participants accused that officials in-charged rarely visit their schools to personally observe the problems being faced by them.They said that Fata secretariat official did not bother to visit their schools to see what was wrong and what was right.

Alam Khan of Mohmand Agency said that most of the schools have no boundary walls, no water and without funds to buy schools’ stationary and other necessary teaching items. “ Taleem-e- Islahi Jirga(TIJ) have been constituted in Fata but they are so far not provided any sort of funds to work for the promotion of educaton cluture in the respective areas”, said Khan.

The participants pointed out the intentionally or unintentionally mistakes said that they have found many irrelevance among the topics and its questions at the end of the lessons. For instance, Alam Khan said they have a lesson of Qaid-e-Azam but at the end of the lesson they have questions from Heron Killer which was totally irrilevent to the lesson they being taught to the children.

However, the workshop particiapants were hopeful said that it would help to improve quality of education, Curriculum and ways to achieve goals set in the MDGs.