School edu dept to rely on central body for data

After being snubbed by the chief minister Prithviraj Chavan around a fortnight ago, over the confusion about students studying in state schools, the school education department has issued a circular calling for all section heads in the department to follow a single system for data collection.

After being snubbed by the chief minister Prithviraj Chavan around a fortnight ago, over the confusion about students studying in state schools, the school education department has issued a circular calling for all section heads in the department to follow a single system for data collection.

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The circular issued by the department on May 30 asks education officials to follow the data collected by the district information system for education (DISE) set up by the central government for their schemes through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

“It is found that several different agencies are collecting data for primary, secondary and for projects as an annual exercise. This information is used for state and central schemes and in the state legislative session. But there is huge discrepancy in the data leading to technical problems,” the circular said.

A recent students’ census taken up by the department revealed there are at least 20 lakh bogus students shown studying in public schools in the state, for whom funds are being given. The circular says the school education and sports department heads should first check the DISE data and approach the department if they need any additional information to be collected. Under DISE, all institutions imparting school education in the country are covered and data collection takes place at the school level through teachers and headmasters, which is then collected through district coordinators.