Editor,
It is very sad to see the century old prestigious Pine Mount School today reaching a critical stage and the subject matter of intense public debate. I admit that teachers of the school are right to revolt against the present Principal for mismanagement and dictatorship etc., but the fault for the School arriving at this sad denouement is that of the higher authorities in the Government and the School Managing Committee whose brief it is to correct the anomalies in the functioning of the School. The problems are not new; they have been fomenting for the last couple of years. It would have been more dignified for the teachers of the school to try and resolve their disgruntlement against the Principal by taking the matter to the Managing Committee and seeking corrective measures through them.
Formerly, during the Assam Government there was a provision for regular inspection of schools at least thrice a year. The Primary Schools would be inspected by the D.I of schools and the High Schools by the Inspector himself / herself. They inspected every aspect of the administration and management of the schools. When ‘Inspection’ notice would come, Principals, teachers and students would be gripped by tension. The students knew they would be randomly picked for a question or two and they were told by the school to come prepared. Students had to demonstrate that they were disciplined and very neatly turned out with hair and nails very tidy for they would be checked too and teachers would be held answerable.
(L) Mrs. E.N. Shullai was the First Inspector of Schools in Meghalaya. She was very vigilant and her eyes never missed if anything was amiss. Gone are those good old days! The term ‘School Inspection’ is invalid now!
Schools today don’t maintain basic hygiene and the toilets in all government schools are unkempt. Most schools don’t have enough toilets and the existing toilets are badly maintained. I am speaking from my own experience as a retired Principal of a Government School which I have myself failed to solve despite repeated appeals.
I fervently hope that the agitation of the respected teachers of Pine Mount School will draw the kind attention of the Education Department and that the genuine problems of the School are solved with immediate effect and that the shortfall in other Government schools too are addressed. I wish that Pine Mount School returns to normalcy at the earliest.
Yours etc.,
Uma Purkayastha,
Retd. Principal, Govt. Girls’ H/S School,
Shillong – 1
Lip service called MDA
Editor,
Can anybody see the “right side” of the NPP’s MDA government led by Conrad K. Sangma, if at all that side is visible? We have the recent inhuman mob lynching in Shangpung, Jaintia Hills, the finger pointing report on Cheristerfield Thangkhiew, the murky affairs inside Pine Mount School, the continuous killings inside the rat hole coal mines in the state despite the NGT ban, vehicle scam of GK Iangrai fame, the messy traffic scenario in the streets of Shillong and what have we. Is this a government? Should it not be pulled up in a court of law for total failure and misgovernance? Should Meghalaya vote for the breed in the NPP again in 2023? The joker cabinet ministers, starting with the CM followed by his deputy and the rest are only paying lip service and things are falling apart. You cannot run a state with statements alone. That’s why Meghalaya is what it is today. This is one of the most disastrous governments that Meghalaya has ever seen. There is lawlessness, chaos, mismanagement everywhere with no checks and balances in place. Such a state of affairs can only foment lynching, scams, fatalities and murky affairs as the one in Pine Mount School – where the school teachers have to brandish black flags against their very principal. If this school had been private, this principal would have been long gone. But Pine Mount School is sarkari after all and she can go on as long as she is not thrown out by a Committee. Today despite so much of mishaps in the state the CM and his foolhardy cabinet colleagues have all the audacity and brazenness to continue with their style of functioning. Let us hope for a change in 2023!
Yours etc.,
BC Paul,
Shillong – 4
Dome collapse
Editor,
In respect of the collapse of the dome which was placed atop the new Meghalaya Assembly building, normally if adequate safety factors are taken note of while designing a structure in view of the probable deviation in the quality of inputs from the regular ones, the dome would not have collapsed. Also civil structures are designed considering the probable worst natural adversaries they may encounter. If engineers and architects had designed the Assembly building and experienced engineers had diligently supervised the execution of the project then it is enigmatic that such a mishap could occur. What is sad however it that the dome collapsed some months ago and the IIT Gauhati is yet to give its report. Someone has to be held accountable for such a shameful disaster. But what is sadder still is that the people of Meghalaya have themselves forgotten this episode for which some months ago there were letters galore in this newspaper and on social media. People truly have short memories and by now have forgotten the dome collapse and the person responsible for it is now on the election trail from an urban elite and so-called ‘brainy’ constituency. It’s impossible to imagine such a thing happening elsewhere in the country
Yours etc.,
BC Biswas,
Guwahati