BHUBANESWAR: To create a supportive atmosphere for students, improve quality of education and increase enrollment, all government schools in the State have been asked to hold parents-teacher meeting (PTM) on January 16.
This will be the second PTM in the current academic session. The first PTM had been convened on June 28, last year. While the first PMT focused on Learning Enhancement Programme, the second will stress on learning outcomes and academics, said State Project Director of Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) Bhupendra Singh Poonia.
In a two-hour meeting, first 15 minutes will focus on sensitisation of parents and local community members on steps being taken for learning enhancement of students, the next 15 minutes will be for discussion on School Certification Programme. Later, schools performing better, will brief parents about their achievements, while those with poor performance will discuss plans to improve their position.
One hour will be kept for individual discussion in which answer-sheets and report card of each student will be shown to the parents and concerns will be addressed. Odisha Abhibhabak Mahasangha members, who welcomed the move, demanded that similar instructions also need to be issued to all private schools.
"If 51 lakh students are studying in government schools, 13 lakh students have also enrolled in private schools in the State. As many private schools do not organise such meetings, the Government should also issue necessary instructions to them in this regard," said Mahasangha head Basudev Bhatt.m As per the provisions of Right to Education Act all schools should conduct PTM at regular intervals, he added.