When teachers go bunking classes
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: August 03 , 2013 -

The problem of substitute teachers in schools under Barak circle of Jiribam sub-divisions where many of the teachers appointed by the State Government under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) or Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) are not known to their students (as they have never seen them coming to take classes) is not a new thing, when we talk about the education scenario in Manipur.

In fact, it has become almost an acceptable ‘fad’ in Manipur today for many of the Government-appointed teachers posted in the hills or other far flung areas of the State to keep substitute teachers to work on their behalf but enjoy their monthly salary unfailingly without ever going to their place of posting even once.

Apart from various factors like absence of proper residential quarters for teachers posted from far off places that seem to have legalized this system of keeping substitute teachers, in most cases, even the respective village chiefs encourage the teachers to hire some local youths and give a part of their monthly salary to the hired teachers.

There have been numerous cases where joining of the Government-appointed teachers in schools located in the hill areas or other far flung areas were finalized and settled at the residences of the village chiefs over a cup of tea without the need to go to see the location of the schools even once.

But what has come as a complete surprise in the case of schools under Barak circle of Jiribam sub-division is the possibility of sending their joining reports by Government-appointed teachers even through fax and the ZEO/DDO taking Rs 10,000 each from teachers who never attended their schools.

That says a lot about the kind of administration prevailing in the sub-division, particularly, in the affairs of imparting education to the students, who are often touted as the future pillars of the society.

What kind of future pillars would come out from such schools should not be hard to imagine to anyone.

As a matter of fact, truancy of the teachers posted in Jiribam sub-division appears to be not confined to just Barak circle alone.

Even as one has not been able to digest over the kind of education being imparting in schools under Barak circle where even a Government LP School is found to be running entirely by teachers from Evangelical Assembly Church, report has come in of four teachers posted in Jiribam Government Higher Secondary School never showing up for the last one year, thus, compelling two student bodies to press the demand for dismissal of these truant teachers from their service.

All these indicate the task and the mission set out by out honourable Education Minister M Okendro to make Manipur an educationally self-reliant State within six months is far from accomplishing. When teachers start bunking classes, perhaps, it’s time for our honourable Education Minister to review his mission instead of making any more tall promises.