July 11, 2002

                                                                                                                        5:30 pm

 

 

To Ms. Amita Sharma,

Secretary (Elementary Education) and

Commissioner State Education Centre,

Bhopal

 

Sub: Your recent letter to the Collector, Hoshangabad concerning the      Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme.

 

 

Dear Ms. Sharma,

 

We have just received a fax copy of your order no. 337 of 03.07.2002 from Harda.  The order is addressed to the Collector, Hoshangabad ordering discontinuation of the books and evaluation system of the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Programme (HSTP).

 

2.  This order has preempted a proper review of the HSTP as ordered by the Chief Minister Shri Digvijay Singh in the meeting convened by him on March 3, 2002 in which the Collector, Hoshangabad was also present. 

 

3.  This process of review was proceeding along with our presentation of April 1, 2002 in your office, and the subsequent submission of a detailed review with sets of documents concerning HSTP addressing the questions raised by you.

 

4.  The data shared by you and Mr. Gopalkrishnan with us in the context of your assessment report in the meeting on July 3, 2002 was we felt totally inadequate for any kind of decision.  We conveyed our reaction in detail in our letter dated July 8, 2002.

 

5.  Subsequently we had a meeting with Shri Digvijay Singh on the morning of 10th July and he immediately ordered the convening of a meeting next week to decide on the issues raised by us (copy of the agenda proposed by us enclosed).

 

6.  The letter, and hence the decision, ignores the fact that nine members of the DPC wrote to the Collector between 12th February, 2002 and 10th March, 2002 asking for a review of the so-called "unanimous" decision in the DPC Hoshangabad.  The Chief Minister in his meeting on March 3, 2002 asked for the DPC decision to be reviewed.  The DPC in its meeting on May 9, 2002 decided to wait for the outcome of the review ordered by the honorable Chief Minister.  The decision of the Madhya Pradesh Government must therefore be taken after the review ordered by the Chief Minister is completed.

 

7.  We therefore strongly submit that your order of July 3, 2002 should immediately be put on hold and await the outcome of the Chief Minister's meeting and a detailed academic review of the programme.  This should be conveyed to all the Collectors to whom the above referred letter has been sent. 

 

8.  As an involved party we are shocked that a copy of the letter was not marked to us as well.

 

With regards,

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Kamal Mahendroo