Teachers ask govt to fix qualification for to-be MLAs

SHILLONG: The state government on Tuesday drew flak from teachers of government-aided schools who said instead of barring teachers from politics it can come up with a law on the qualification of legislators.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, a teacher, Fairshon Kharjana, remarked that the government should come make law to only allow master degree holders to contest elections or become legislators.
Many ministers in the current government are only graduates and some did not even complete high school.
Kharjana also said the government should also grant equal pay for equal work to all teachers in schools and colleges.
“As teachers we feel the government should implement the order of entitling teachers to ‘equal pay for equal work’. The salary of a peon in a government office is much higher than that of a teacher,” he added.
To describe the condition of teachers in the state and the attitude of the government, Kharjana said acerbically, “It seems, it is democracy off the people, buy the people and far the people.”
Kharjana expressed dismay at the state government’s move to prevent people to be self-reliant rather than depend on government jobs.
“The morning section is also closed down leading to high dropouts, even holding of fetes which fetch individuals a lot of money is also banned, limestone mining and even bull-fight is also banned,” he said.
As for the teachers’ participation in politics, he said the teachers can get involved in politics outside the school after their school work and criticised the system where a professor can contest election and still take to teaching after leaving politics.