STATE TIMES NEWS
SRINAGAR: Director State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), Professor Parikhshat Singh Manhas, on Sunday had an exclusive maiden meeting with Principals of Kashmir Division’s District Institute of Education and Training (DIET). The meeting, which took place in the SCERT auditorium at Bemina, was attended by all 10 Principals from various DIETs.
Seeking analysis report regarding Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Challenges (SWOC) from the DIET Principals to revamp the SCERT brand, he asked for a fund utilization report of the previous financial year and took serious note of funds that had not been utilized. “Each penny counts when it comes to building a strong education system,” Professor Manhas said. “I urge the DIET Principals to provide a detailed report on fund utilization of the previous financial year so that we can identify the areas where we need to improve and avoid any wastage of resources in future, he added”. “Let me be clear, we cannot afford to waste any funds that have been allocated to us,” Professor Manhas stated firmly. “The reason to hold this meeting in the month of April is to ensure fair and maximum utilization of funds in the new financial year, he asserted”. Cautioning against deliberately lapsing funds, he emphasized the collective responsibility to ensure that allocated resources are put to their best use. To ensure proper utilization of funds, Prof Manhas asked the concerned to draw calendars for various activities in advance and send them for his perusal beforehand. “As educators, we must lead by example and shun the practice of doing things at the eleventh hour,” he said. “There is a need to adopt a hybrid approach, utilizing both online and offline modes, to ensure that our activities are efficient and effective.” Professor Manhas assured the provision of staff to the SCERT and DIETs purely on merit basis and pledged to remove the tag of SCERT and DIETs being considered “dump yards.” He emphasized that his job was to facilitate the work, while the onus lies on each head of the DIET. Extremely emotional on the subject of “Toycathon”, Prof Manhas urged them to make the event a grand success by ensuring maximum participation of students including those from the private schools. “Sponsored by organisations like Comptroller and Auditor General of India, Microsoft, and Jammu and Kashmir Bank Limited, the event is scheduled to begin between 10th and 15th May and end on either 5th September or Kalam Day,” he informed.