TURA, July 21: As if to corroborate the recent government report with regard to the education system of the state, a retired teacher of the Dambuk Aga Model LP School of South Garo Hills (SGH) has appealed to the government, seeking intervention in light of the school remaining without a teacher since 2020.
As per the retired teacher, who has been disconnected for more than two years, the school has remained without a teacher since two of them retired.
The school in question falls under the Siju-Rongara constituency in South Garo Hills.
“Earlier, contractual teachers were filling up the vacancy but since the state has not renewed contracts, the school has not had classes. Children have already lost three years of their education due to non-appointment of teachers in the school,” said the former teacher, who is also the president of the school.
In the appeal, the former teacher can be heard pleading for the appointment of at least three teachers in the school so that education can once again become the focus of the children in the village.
The school had earlier catered to more than 130 students from the area but since 2020, admissions fell to about 80 as no teachers were appointed. Most of the teaching now is either self-taught or done by Good Samaritans.
Further, the school building is also in a dilapidated condition and requires immediate intervention from government authorities, he added.
When contacted on the matter, the Sub-Divisional School Education Officer (SDSEO) of SGH said that the situation arose owing to the government’s move of cancelling all contractual teacher jobs since 2020. He also informed that there were other schools too that did not have teachers due to this step of the state government.
While the number of such schools is still a matter of speculation, the situation is alarming and is an indicator as to why education in the Garo Hills region has been suffering.
What adds to this is the fact that infrastructure in most schools is in tatters, it begs the question as to why schools and by the same extension students have been left without the most basic thing – education.
“What are the authorities doing and why have these children been forsaken? Is their education not important? Is the government’s own statement of education being the first priority just hogwash? The children deserve an education and it is fundamental to their development. Education is a fundamental right and the government needs to live up to it,” social activist Maxbirth G Momin said.
Another activist SD Sangma questioned the move of the government to cancel contractual teacher appointments without actually making provisions to provide teachers to schools.
