Nagpur: The impact of artificial intelligence on teaching jobs, recurring paper leaks and friction between educational trusts and the state over funding dominated a one day conclave of the Maharashtra Rajya Shikshan Sanstha Mahamandal’s Nagpur and Amravati divisions on Sunday, where federation president and NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule said multiple challenges lay ahead for their members.On artificial intelligence, Sule said the technology would change how teaching was delivered but would not make teachers irrelevant. “AI will change how teaching happens, but that does not mean teachers will lose their relevance. We have to prepare our institutions and our teachers for this change instead of fearing it,” she said, adding that trusts needed to plan for the next 25 years and run teacher training programmes.Sule said, “Image of educational trusts has taken a beating over last few years. This is not because of how we function, but because of how our work gets misinterpreted. We need to correct this perception collectively.” She said institutions should pass at least one concrete resolution at every meeting and act on it within the month, adding that agitation should not be the first option and issues should be resolved through continuous engagement with govt.On sustaining Marathi medium schools, Sule said parents needed to be taken into confidence, the quality of schools needed to improve and the education system needed reforms in keeping with changing times.On paper leaks, Sule said, “Exams like TOEFL and GMAT, held across the world, have never seen a paper leak. Why does this keep happening in our system? We need to ask ourselves this question and fix it structurally.”MLC Abhijit Wanjari, who introduced the session, said the govt should accept responsibility for at least the two basic sectors of health and school education, and that the federation should continuously follow up on this through its platform. MLC Sanjay Bhende said the Pavitra portal should not turn ‘impure’, called for education institutions to be run better to give students good facilities.
