Partha De

Krishnagar, Sept. 16: The school education minister was lecturing on the need to improve the quality of teaching, but the teachers in the audience were on their cellphones.

Annoyed, Partha De had to tell them to “please switch off the mobile phones” and give him “a patient hearing. The continuous ringing of phones is most disturbing”.

The event where De spoke was organised by the Nadia unit of CPM-controlled All Bengal Teachers’ Association.

De was telling the teachers to improve their performance to compete with private institutions and check the drop-out rate in Bengal.

According to government estimates, in the last five years, about 6 lakh children have dropped out from school.

“Many children drop out at the primary level. The government is finding it tough bringing dropouts back to school. I think it is time that teachers took their responsibility very seriously to bring back the dropouts,” the minister said.

De said private investment in education was increasing in the state. The private sector was helping the education sector, and doing a good job of it.

“The organisations investing in the state’s education sector are contributing in a great way by giving standard education. The government cannot prevent such investments just because it is not catering to every section,” De said.

While private investment was ensuring good education for the affluent, the government would work for the children of poor families, he said.

But for that, teachers will have to do a better job, he said.

“If we have to train the students in our institutions on a par with private institutions, the teachers will have to come up and give their best,” he said.