Govt teachers: Wake up before it is too late

Education is considered as the backbone of any developed and enlightened society and with the slogan of universalization of education, The Jammu and Kashmir government schools have played a very important role in spreading education all across the state. The central government and the state government have launched many important schemes on mission mode basis to achieve the targets of universalisation of education, hundred percent literacy rate, increasing enrolments, reducing drop out and increasing retention rates etc. It was a very herculean task in the state of Jammu and Kashmir when the education sector was not much developed but at an infancy stage due to the poor infrastructures. Thousands of teachers have been appointed under SSA scheme and direct recruitments through the Service Selection Board and the Public Service Commission on the merit basis to achieve the targets set by the government. Majority of teachers appointed are highly dedicated, experienced and working honestly and tirelessly for the improvement and welfare of the school education department. Despite teachers laced with good qualities like highly qualified, experienced and dedicated, many important targets are yet to be achieved by the school education department because more than sixty percent of government teachers always come on the way of school development directly or indirectly crediting to the private school results and axing their own feet. Such government teachers’ do not know that they are preparing a strong Tsunami like disastrous for themselves in the form of handshake by the government that will also engulf other hardworking, dedicated and innocent teachers as well in future due to the government’s recent order for deadwoods. The graph of government schools compared to private schools in terms of overall improvements is at snail’s pace due to many reasons. Where the problem lies and who is responsible, some reasons are:
First and foremost most schools conduct enrolment drives every year on directions of higher authorities of the school education department in order to increase enrolments in government schools but unfortunately, the majority of teachers have confined it to photo shows and media bytes. Although, somehow there has been little improvement in school enrolments but government teachers are yet to ready and admit their wards in their own schools. They are only forcing the poor parents who mostly work as labourers or other subsistence jobs to admit their wards in government schools by motivating them with free education, free books, free mid-day meals and even scholarships. These government teachers don’t bother their own schools but are admitting their own wards in private schools deliberately and proudly with the hope that their wards will get better quality education and positions in examinations for their better future. Secondly, most government teachers are sharing private school results and fail to share their own results and achievements. It is worth to mention here that recently 12th class annual examination 2021 results were declared by the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education, some government teachers whose wards have been admitted in private schools shared their positions, distinctions, and marks through social media platforms proudly and crediting and praising to the private schools and teachers. Common people fail to understand it and are raising many reasonable and genuine questions about government teachers. Have government teachers not faith and trust in their own teaching? Have government teachers compromising quality education in their schools and playing with the future of poor students only? Are government teachers wasting hard-earned taxpayers’ money and deceiving the government and the public by receiving huge salaries without accountability and transparency? Whosoever asks questions to same government teachers about their own ward admissions; they either remain silent or divert the attention of a questioner. Honestly speaking, another rising reason and loophole is that the majority of teachers of higher secondary schools in particular are forcing their students to stay at homes for preparation of examination purposes to avoid teaching classes and get themselves free from teaching workload. A good percentage of science teachers in particular and arts in general do not deliver their classes for the poor students and with the result, the poor students have either to stay at their homes for study or to attend their classes at private coaching institutes for credit to the concerned teachers.
Fourth, Daily attendance of students is not being maintained by most teachers particularly in higher secondary classes and shortage of attendance does not matter there and the teachers are running after one thing the cent percent results by hook or crook. This has given a great blow to the education sector and has shifted the focus of all parents, the rich or the poor, towards the private schools instead of government schools. The higher authorities’ are unaware about the real facts of the government schools. Fifth, Hundreds of Subject specific teachers are also working in many offices like Zonal Education Offices, DIETs’, SCERT, Chief Education Offices and even DSEK Offices have also affected the academics of the poor students. Some teachers posted or deputed at DIETs, SCERTS for years on influential and access basis just for earning leave salaries without working and delivering any training class put a big question mark on school education department that why untrained, idle and inexperienced teachers have been deputed or posted at important offices on nexus and access basis. The teachers working in offices are being needed in the schools for accountability in terms of academics but not in offices for clerical and other work because they have been appointed for teaching purposes only. The heads of institutions pleading for students’ bright future are always helpless and are given false promises by the higher authorities for replacement or cancellation of their deputed teachers. In my opinion, these are the few basic reasons and loopholes which have deteriorated the school education department to the core in contemporary times. There are other problems like poor infrastructures in few percent of schools but overall infrastructure for teaching purposes is better in almost all schools. For delivering effective classes to the poor students, a sincere teacher just needs a board and marker and there is hardly any school with no building. A hardworking, dedicated and honest teacher can deliver a class anywhere in an open space easily for the benefit of students. All officials of education department from lower rung to the top official are receiving huge salaries that come from only taxpayers the rich and the poor, the wards of taxpayers are only in benefit if their classes are to be delivered sincerely and honestly by their teachers otherwise, the wards of taxpayers are in great loss and taxpayers money wasted due to negligence of concerned officials particularly teachers. Let’s hope and expect that all teachers in the government sector wake up in particular as early as possible and work with zeal and dedication so that they will take the education sector to new heights and become an example of true nation builders for all societies to follow.
(The author is a teacher at Boys Higher Secondary School Beerwah. Views are his own)
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