With the launch of two applications by Chief Secretary, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, J&K became the first in the country to take online monthly feedback from students of class 6th and above about the performance of their teachers and carry out the GPS-based attendance of teachers on daily basis.
The ceremony was attended by the Principal Secretary of Education, MD, Samagra Shiksha; Director of School Education Kashmir/Jammu, Director of Estates, Secretary JKBOSE, and many other concerned officers.
Dr. Mehta complimented the department for developing these applications and called them powerful tools to take the education sector toward much higher efficiency and accountability. He remarked that these applications would ensure that authentic feedback comes from the grassroots level from the ones who are directly involved in the learning process.
He enjoined the officers to monitor the progress at the highest levels so that the results improve substantially. He maintained that the teachers in the government sector are best in terms of qualifications and trainings and they just need to focus more on academic activities to ensure improved results.
Department to reward teachers who will receive good feedback from teachers
The Chief Secretary advised the department to make this feedback a benchmark while analyzing the annual performance reports of the teachers. He said that the teachers who perform well, are punctual and who receive good feedback from students should be duly recognized and rewarded by the department. He observed that such teachers should be preferred in career progression and other recommendations.
The system is named as "SAMIKSHA" as it will be reflecting the true performance of the teachers with respect to their inputs in the actual classroom, leaving no space for subjectivity.
It was given out that the student feedback forms are designed to get feedback from students on different teaching-learning techniques in the institution. Besides, the teachers are given unique usernames and passwords to verify their input and outcomes. The comprehensive report will be visible to all levels viz-Teachers, HOIs, ZEO, CEO, DSEK/J, and at UT level in the hierarchy.
Students to give grading to teachers every month
The department has worked out some 25 parameters (questions) regarding teachers and school ambiance, out of which two are optional. The school and teacher-based questionnaire need to be filled by the students once on monthly basis grading them on a five-point scale with "Excellent, Very Good, Good, Average, and Below Average" results, as informed during the launch ceremony.
Another app launched today was 'JK Attendance-SED' available for download on both Android and iOS. The application will give a peek into the daily attendance of teachers even Directors and CEOs. The application will capture the live location of the employee with Geo Coordinates and even allow his/her time-specific tracking.
The attendance system would reduce paperwork and save time and resources. It would eliminate duplicate data entries and improve the management of attendance across all schools.
The same application would enable employees to make leave requests online. It would automatically send it for necessary approval and keep his/her leave account safe for viewing by the higher authorities.
