Editor,
It is unfortunate that Meghalaya, and the capital city Shillong which was once the educational hub of the North Eastern states has been ranked lowest in the Performance Grade Index (PGI). And the allegations advanced by our Lok Sabha MP, Vincent Pala, that this is an attempt by the Centre to downgrade the efforts of missionary-run schools is totally baseless. If the yardstick for judging the educational outcomes are to be tainted by political and religious undertones then education in Meghalaya will slide some more. Punjab which is ranked the highest is a Congress-ruled state which proves that such ranking is not influenced by political and religious sub-texts.
Regarding the low ranking of our state has the MP ever focused on any of the academic structures, which not only includes the performance of the students but also includes the welfare of the teaching community? Even the State Government has neglected this aspect. The Government focuses primarily on Deficit Schools where the teachers are paid very high (although teachers normally get their salaries after 3 months) but can government admit that only those Deficit or Government-aided Schools contribute to the academic excellence of the state? Did the government ever pay attention to those teachers in private schools. They are left with no options but to teach in private schools since the appointment to Deficit Schools is always through the backdoor. Candidates that have the backing of the Managing Committee, whose members are the retired Government officers, including senior members of the locality.
There have been instances where one person serves as a Managing Committee member in several schools and enjoys monopoly in all spheres. In other states there is a centralized system of recruitment of teachers into government schools which is based only on merit. The successful candidates can be posted in any part of the state including the rural areas. Hence many teachers prefer to work in private schools located within their city. But private schools pay their teachers poorly.
In Meghalaya, there is no centralized recruitment system into Deficit schools. Many aspirants despite having all the required qualifications are forced to work in private schools with comparatively less pay but with more work pressure. In private schools teachers work harder due to strict supervision. This improves the teaching learning process and also creates a conducive environment where children are disciplined and learn better. Hence even members of Managing Committees of Deficit Schools and teachers prefer to send their children to private schools. Here I am not blaming teachers of Deficit Schools as some are diligent and care about the overall academic excellence of the students. But the question still remains as to why many parents prefer sending their children to private schools. There must be some valid reasons for that.
The irony however, is that teachers of private schools are poorly paid and there is no regulatory body to ensure that teachers are paid decent salaries. Teaching is a dignified profession and teachers deserve respect. That respect will come when they are paid what they deserve. Many capable young people who could have made good teachers prefer to work in other sectors. If in academic competitions like the board exams, the students of Deficit Schools and Private Schools face equal competition why is the Education Department not concerned about the welfare of private school teachers who are appointed totally on merit without any reservations and backing but are paid a pittance.
During this pandemic work pressure in the form of online classes has added to the burden of teachers but salaries of private school teachers are either stopped or reduced even while the Government turns a blind eye to their plight. It’s high time Government focuses on such core issues and invests more on education. Government should also consider the plight of private school teachers and adopt a centralized and systematic way of recruiting teachers henceforth so that only the best make it to the teaching profession. Please remember that it is teachers who are responsible for creating the human resources for the future of the nation.
Yours etc.,
Premankur Dam,
Shillong-4
The poor need empathy
Editor,
I am not against vaccination! What I am against is the way it is being enforced on a certain section of the society and not by creating awareness among the mass. Don’t shift the blame to someone else when people fear vaccination especially the uneducated and the marginalized sections of the society. They are the ones who need to be educated about the virus; the cause and its effects on their well being and to clear all the misconceptions which are cemented in their minds either through gossip or wrong information on the internet. Ask yourself all my beloved dear leaders what have you done to clear the misconceptions about the virus? Have you done enough? What I have seen is only administrative orders to get the jab and warning to the anti-vax gossipers. Force and warning are not the essence of democracy. There’s partiality too in that vaccination is forced only on a section of society. Even the shopkeepers and cab drivers have the right to be protected from the chance of contracting the virus from customers and passengers. So why not the customers and passengers get vaccinated too, my point here is to make vaccination compulsory to all.
What makes me write this letter is when I read in your paper that a lady selling kwai dong was disallowed to open her shop for not being vaccinated. Instead of asking why, the authority tore her paper. That hurts. They should have asked the reason why and cleared all doubts if any from that particular Kong. They should make her understand and persuade her to take the jab which in turn can motivate others. Tearing papers and treating the poor in that way is not our tradition. This goes to the one who tore the paper and to all those who gave out the order. What if that Kong and her entire family went hungry on that particular day or days to come? The administration should use its powers wisely since they don’t understand the hardship that people go through during this period. At the end of every month government employees get paid whether there’s a lockdown or not. Please have some sympathy while making decisions and remember we are living in the world’s largest democracy.
Yours etc,
A M Rynjah
Shillong – 14