Seven years after formation, 50 new Karnataka taluks lack Block education offices

Kalaburagi: The absence of block education offices (BEO) has been disrupting the education system in 50 of the 61 new taluks announced by the state government more than seven years ago. This is considered as one the factors crippling the quality of education in schools, causing adverse effect on the examination results.

The education department set up BEO offices in temporary buildings in very few new taluks. Experts feel that full-fledged buildings are essential for the proper functioning of schools.

The state government had announced new taluks in January 2018. The education department had earlier obtained the data on number of schools, students, geographical area and other details to be brought under the new block education offices. But measures were not taken to establish these offices. Therefore, the existing BEO offices are overburdened with several academic activities including midday meals, supply of textbooks, uniforms, maintaining records about teachers and preparation of time-bound proposals.

Education experts have suggested appointment of two separate block education officers for administrative and academic purposes in the backward taluks where education standard is very poor. They argue that the block education officers hardly get time to leave their office and visit the schools as they are overburdened by administrative works.

“The Department of Pre-University Education has been merged with the Department of School Education. Therefore, the government should appoint principals of government PU colleges as block education officers. They should be assigned the task of mobilising academic resources in their blocks,” educationist Z N Jagirdar said.

Meanwhile, a six-member committee headed by economist Chaya Degaonkar has suggested immediate measures for establishment of BEO offices in 14 new taluks in Kalyana Karnataka districts which have been lagging behind in SSLC and PUC results. The Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) had formed the committee which submitted its interim report recently.

“It has become difficult for existing block education officers to monitor both administrative and academic activities because “per block cluster-teachers” are more in Kalyana Karnataka. Therefore, we have advised the KKRDB to focus on establishing BEO offices,” she said.

However, School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will take measures to build full-fledged BEO offices in the next two years.

“The administrative work will collapse without BEO offices which supervise all works including supply of shoes, uniforms, books. Therefore, I have directed the education officials to make temporary arrangements to set up BEO offices in some new taluks. We have land to construct these offices. But, there is no budgetary allocation in the education department for this purpose. Therefore, the chief minister has assured to provide funds to build these offices,” the minister said.