Editor
Like the great saying goes ‘Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions’ but in the state of Meghalaya the mother of all other professions is being looked down upon and victimized by the government for the interest of the people in power.
Teachers in our society are amongst the many others that have been deprived of their basic rights and discriminated against by the Government even though they lay the most conceptual foundation in a society. From SSA teachers to College teachers, the government turns a blind eye and deaf ears to almost every aspect of the issues and grievances faced by them. Non-payment of salaries, non-regularization of post and non-revision of all other basic incentives are amongst the urgent and topmost issues that need immediate attention by the government besides others.
A ready reference of such scenes created and mitigated by the government that can be observed is towards the part time lecturers of the Kiang Nangbah Government College, Jowai that were tasked to attend to their duties in the morning shift of the college. For the last two to three years, the teachers of the morning section are being deprived of their salary rights which was supposed to be reimbursed to them by the government once in a year and that for a meager amount. These teachers too have families and children to feed and take care of besides other things that are required to be attended to. However, they are not getting paid for all the hard work, the dedication and the devotion in teaching the large numbers of students attending their classes daily. Mr Chief Minister and Mr. Education Minister, is there anything much worse than a teacher attending to his/her students on an empty stomach? How do you expect good academics results when our very own teachers are starving?
While it is a very bold move by the Government to accommodate maximum number of students in the college of which a first semester class itself would reflect a whopping number of 1200 students alone, imagine the number of students of the morning section in a college with 6 (six) semester courses !!
This very college was recently accredited by the University Grant Commission (UGC) as a Grade B college. Don’t the morning section lecturers also play an important role for such accreditation? How can they be treated so shabbily?
The teachers of the morning section in the college impart education to the poor section of students who cannot afford to study during the day time as they tare compelled to work in order to supplement the family income. For such students the morning section where they can pursue their degree course is a blessing in disguise. Teachers however, besides struggling hard to impart quality and standard education and teaching the students besides attending to other assignments and exams preparation, are being punished by the government for being responsible and dedicated to their duties and responsibilities.
It is undesirable for any government to promote growth and development by compromising the very basic right of teachers? Is that even supposed to happen? This Government has achieved stuff beyond possibilities in creating issues and victimizing the powerless section of the society. Jaintia hills in particular has faced drastic chaos and tantrums from this government, be it garbage drama to coal trafficking, you name it, we have it!!
Ironically, the Education Minister himself hails from Jaintia hills. But his apathy towards this region and his distancing himself from attending to these urgent problems and issues knocking at his door is apalling. Mr, Chief Minister and Mr. Education Minister, is starving the teachers part of your 300 projects for the 50th statehood celebration? If not, then please address this issue immediately. Just because a section of the society does not have the power to raise their voices, it does not mean that you have the right to discriminate and deprive them of their salaries and paychecks. These teachers need to feed themselves too before they feed all the knowledge of the world to our students.
Yours etc.,
OR Shallam,
Via email
The Lamborgini & the Assembly
Editor,
Apropos of the letters ‘Political tricks of the trade’, by Teilang Kharkongor, and ‘Has legislature become irrelevant? ‘by Samuel Swet (ST March 3, 2022) I beg to add few more points of public interests, especially as this year is a run up to the 2023 Assembly elections. At no other period of Meghalaya’s history are the above two letters more vital to save our state. It’s a now or never situation.
Before Jaintias struck coal in the 80s, children toyed around with four wheelers having wooden wheels and some contraption of wooden chassis. On our journey to Lumshnong we passed from 8th mile through villages with thatched huts. The compound was full of cows and bullocks for ploughing. When Ladrymbai turned the biggest coal hub in North East, the scenario totally changed. Huts were replaced with RCC buildings. The compound was replaced with Shaktimans to load from rat hole mines to the main road. By the year 2000, top line limousines filled all compounds.
Those red flashing lights atop the limousines, with sirens at high decibels and with escorting security policemen ready for action, became the dream of these coal barons. And since then elections in Meghalaya, whether to the District Councils or Legislative Assembly became unaffordable for those who sincerely wish to serve their people and who believe that to buy humans is an unpardonable sin. That’s why we are right now deep in the quagmire. The more we try to extricate ourselves the deeper we sink.
Lamborghini though private has all those facilities like BMWs, Volkswagen and Rolls Royce. Two months before polling you can see them waving at you. When they win elections and after the swearing in ceremony, they sink deep into the comforts of the spongy leather. One clarification is that Dasakhiat Lamare had begun fishing in Nongkrem waters since January 2021, at the time when fishes were very hungry on account of Covid19. Truly many were benefitted and till date he is seen in Nongkrem and has left Mawhati orphaned. The Election Commission of India should repair this flaw where an MLA abandons his constituency halfway. Alas! CECs like TN Seshan and JM Lyngdoh are no longer seen today. We only expect that the Nongkrem people would remember the now orphaned Mawhati and send him back to where he belongs.
In the border row with Assam this MLA was hostile to his own people and sided with the Assamese. The MDC sent an SOS to Shillong but nothing happened. All politicians play around with boundary issues.
Coming to question hour, it is sad that questions by Opposition MLAs pertaining to unemployment, farmers, SSA, PHE water (WQI and rusted pipes) and vocational course for high school were never replied. Education Minister, Rymbui ran away from question hour when the matter of plight of teachers was raised. Worse the Speaker did nothing!
But worst is the conduct of the Deputy CM. He stands between the questioner and the minister with permission from the Speaker to holler wildly as if to say, “Don’t you dare question my boss. Do your homework.” Thanks to social media we see everything that goes on in the Assembly It is an embarrassment to see most ministers and ruling members deep in slumber. One can only hope and pray that the Lamborghini lovers do not return post 2023 so that Meghalaya is saved from complete collapse.
Yours etc.,
F. Lyngdoh
Via email