Hireling Education
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: April 22, 2013 -

Though the term used may be different from one place to another, but the service of a substitute teacher, who takes the class when a regular teacher is not available due to certain compelling reasons like illness, personal leave, etc, is an acceptable norm in most part of the globe including India.

Even if the qualifications for substitute teaching may not be as strict as those laid down for a regular teacher, there are some definite rules and guidelines including payment of salary or per diem under which substitute teachers have to work.

In countries like United States, even a day in an annual academic calendar has been designated as Substitute Educator's Day to highlight the role and importance of substitute teacher by providing information about, advocating for, or helping to increase appreciation and respect for this unique professional.

The Day has been instituted by National Education Association and is observed on the 3rd Friday of November every year to coincide with the American Education Week celebration.

To make up for the shortage of teachers in most schools all across India, the importance of the service of substitute teachers or 'sub', as they are more popularly known in its abbreviated form, is also increasingly being recognized even in the CBSE-affiliated Kendriya Vidyalayas, where parents are invited to work as substitute teachers on temporary assignments.

However, the service of substitute teachers, though in vogue in Manipur for the last many years, is becoming something of a bane in ensuring quality education to the students of the State.

Normally, many of the Government-appointed teachers posted in the hills and other far flung areas of the State are keeping substitute teachers and enjoying their monthly salary without ever going to their work place or doing any work.

These substitute teachers are usually some local youths who do not have sufficient teaching knowledge and are given a part of the salary received by their concerned regular teachers.

Even if the arrangement is said to be a mutual one between the Government-appointed teachers and their substitutes, it has been seen that in most cases the final settlement of the agreement largely depends on the respective village chiefs under whose supervision the whole arrangement is worked out.

In such a situation, blaming the Government for the growing culture of substitute teachers may not be totally justifiable.

Nonetheless, the Government too needs to pay serious attention to the problem and find out ways and means to stop education of children being reduced to some sort of business transaction between the appointed teachers and their substitutes.

On the other hand, it is interesting to know that a newer concept of 'hired-teachers' is gaining ground in some Government schools in Manipur where the school authorities themselves cough-up money for hiring teachers to teach students as adequate teaching staffs have not been posted by the Government.

While the concern of the school authorities towards educating their students is appreciable, the Government and more particularly the Education Department, needs to take the blame for this kind of 'hireling' education.