Education and the department of human resources are always hot topics in Kashmir valley. It is being discussed at every nook and corner, from top to bottom, and by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. There have been three trending topics that were discussed by the people in the print media, electronic media, and most importantly social media with regard to the education and the education department in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir
Why the teacher of the government school is a private school parent?
The enrollment drive by the department of school education and the hype related to it.The rumor is that the parents whose wards are in the private schools may lose the BPL ( Below Poverty Line) Ration card and associated benefits.
In a democratic setup, everybody is free to express his or her opinion as to the ‘freedom of speech and expression’ is a fundamental right. But to force one’s thoughts and opinions over others is less tolerated in a vibrant democratic society.
Let us first talk about the topic, ‘ why the teacher of a government school is the parent in the private school’. There is a big brigade in the valley who are of the opinion that the condition of the government schools is worsening day by day because the teachers are enrolling their wards in the private schools and hence are not taking pains. This brigade is now propagating the thought that those government employees who are working as teachers in the government schools ought to admit their wards in the government schools, as it is their moral obligation and hence must be compulsory for them. The strength of the brigade is increasing day by day and is making their voice louder with each passing day.Before making any judgment, this brigade must know that the teachers are in the department because they deserve to be there. They should first understand the process of recruitment of teachers and the degrees they have on the basis of which they are selected. Their job is not a favor that the government is bestowing to the teachers and in lieu of this, the teachers have to enroll their wards in the government schools. It is not a give-and-take business. The teachers are just the employees like the employees of other departments, who are actually selling their services, and against the services they are receiving a fixed salary. The teachers in our part of the world are the underpaid workers. Teaching is the most difficult job in the entire world. To design the human resources one needs the craft, passion, courage, dedication, and will. In the actual process, the teachers are not workers but the artists who are designing and shaping the future of the country.It is and always must be the free will of the teacher to enroll his or her child or ward in the school of his/ her choice without any pressure and without associating his or her profession with the education of his/ her child/ward. But the teachers too must understand that it is fundamental to be concerned and faithful to their profession and work hard to promote the quality education of all those who are enrolled in their schools. There is enough example in the department that needs to be followed for the promotion of good and quality education. The education sector is very crucial and there is hardly any chance and choice for compromise.
The second topic which too was much discussed on social media was the enrollment drive. Under this enrollment drive, the directorate of school education Kashmir started a successful campaign by which a good number of new students were enrolled in the government schools. In the media, there was a great hype with regard to this process.In the social media, the government school teachers made every attempt to support this process and sometimes even defamed the private schools too in their over-enthusiasm. They left no stone unturned by making huge claims about the facilities available in the government schools and the dedication and qualifications of the staff working there.It is the professional ethic of the teacher working in the government school to work and support the enrollment drive of those students who have not enrolled anywhere and are willing to educate themselves. Elementary education is a fundamental right and no child should be deprived of this fundamental right. We hope that all these new students along with all those who were already there may get the promised quality education from the highly qualified teachers with the best degrees and all necessary training. But to discourage the private schools is nowhere a professional ethic. It is good to have both governments as well as private schools working side by side. It encourages competition and competition is always good for a healthy society.The third topic was regarding those parents whose wards are in the private schools but are BPL cardholders. A few days back, social media was abuzz with the news that” All those parents whose wards are in the private schools may lose their BPL status”. A lot of people, many among them were government school teachers, shared this news without any confirmation hence creating chaos and confusion among many parentsI tried my best to get any authentic news or any official order from J&K administration about this buzz but all in vain. The government cannot deny its citizens fundamental rights by prioritizing one over the other.
The constitution of India declares India a Socialist” country and by socialist we mean that the government will try its best ‘ to uplift the below trodden and minimize the gap between the rich and the poor. Under the philosophy of socialism, the rich are taxed so that the poor may get benefits under different social welfare schemes.The government is bound to provide the basic and necessary services to its people like education, health, and food security, so that they may have every opportunity available for their welfare and development. The concept of basic necessities of human life has widened with the passage of time. In the traditional times, there used to be only three basic needs i.e. food, shelter, and clothing ( Roti, Kapda our Makaan) but now more needs have been included in this category that is health, education, drinking water, roads, and electricity ( Sehat, Taleem, Pani, Sadak our Bijlii). It is the prime responsibility of the government of the day to provide all these necessities so that the people may live a decent human life. It has been found that if one of the above-mentioned needs is denied the whole formula of life goes out of the track and hence becomes useless. It is not possible for a modern democratic government to issue a directive like this, under which only one option is provided, that is, to choose one among the two basic needs that are the fundamental right to education or the basic need for bread or we can say food security.It would be a total injustice to all those parents who work very hard to provide the education of their choice to their loved ones but are in the category of BPL.A parent with a BPL ration card is always genuine in his/her claim and right when he or she is enrolling his or her child in the school of their choice. It is their individual freedom ensured, by the fundamental law of the land, and it must be respected at any cost. By going through all these topics it becomes imperative for the government that if it is really concerned for the welfare of its less privileged people, students, and the government schools, then more than the coercive measures, let the government initiate certain reforms which are more academic and administrative in nature like the change in syllabus, better infrastructure, modern laboratories, digital libraries, sufficient staff, indoor and outdoor playgrounds, accountability and strict academic calendar in the government schools. If followed with good faith, these things will shape the government schools in a better way, and not only the BPL ration card holders we are sure the APL ration card holders too may enroll their wards in these schools.
(The writer is Evs Lecturer at Govt.Higher Secondary School Khellani Doda. Views are his own)
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