Teachers’ Day is a time of mixed emotions for educators in Meghalaya, with those in SSA, ad hoc, contractual and other positions far from happy.
Teachers’ Day falls on September 5, the birth anniversary of educationist, philosopher and President of India, S Radhakrishnan.
Babu Kular Khongjirem, senior teacher at KJP Girls Higher Secondary School, Shillong, said that the state’s teachers have little in the way to celebrate.
“Conditions for teachers are pathetic. Teachers are neglected and ignored by the state government,” he said. “The state government is not concerned about teachers getting their regular pay on time. No retirement benefit schemes are provided to them. Their basic amenities, like health and medical treatments, are also ignored by the state. No talented person would choose the teaching profession due to the negligence of the state government. Such an attitude by the Meghalaya government will ruin education in the state in the long run.”
Meghalaya SSA Schools Association leader, Aristotle Rymbai, said that the SSA scheme is a flagship programme created by the central government and implemented together with the states to provide quality education. However, he added, 12,541 SSA teachers have been deprived of their rights, as they are made to repeatedly fight just to get their salaries paid.
“In our state, even after 20 years of the SSA programme, career prospects, a good payscale and allowances, medical facilities, provident fund and other prescribed benefits are nil for the 12,541 SSA teachers,” Rymbai said. “We need to be taking care of teachers as they are the heart of our education system and the success of any effort to improve the quality of education is solely dependent on them.”
Dikes Shadap, Head of the Department of Mathematics at Shillong College, recounted the old saying that parents are a child’s first teachers and teachers are a child’s second parents.
Stating that the modern educational system is more dynamic than ever, he said, “These difficulties may have never been more obvious than during the disruption brought on by the coronavirus outbreak. The competition among schools for the finest online learning environments put online teaching squarely on the shoulders of the teacher, who was caught off guard by the abrupt change.”
He said that since online teaching requires specialised and practical digital abilities, it is rife with difficulties that put teachers under a lot of stress.
“Online teaching has become a challenging endeavour for many teachers due to factors such as teachers’ fear of technology, bad internet access and, in most cases, the extra stress of family responsibilities. Yet, teachers have influenced us to overcome these challenges and deserve our thanks for that. So let us appreciate and celebrate this year’s Teachers’ Day to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of each and every teacher,” he added.
