A Village School Master’s Plight

The Nagaland education system has expanded enormously within the period of a decade. The number of schools both private and government have mushroomed within few years particularly, government schools with the coming of the Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rastriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). Thousands of highly qualified teachers including Hindi teachers have been recruited and trained against CSS. In fact, it is the first ever the Department of School Education could recruit the highest number of genuine and qualified teachers in the history of the department. There have been huge infrastructural developments across the state. Computers are provided to schools even in the remotest village, mid day meals is served, free text books and uniforms are supplied etc. Government schools are being communitised and community started to participate at their own capacity and ability. There have been overwhelming quantitative progress but unfortunately, the rising expectations of the parents and community towards government and department has been shattered with the frequent absenteeism of the teachers particularly due to irregularities on the payment of the Teachers’ salaries and consequently resorting to boycotting the classes. While funds for mid day meals, civil works and others are being sanctioned smoothly, teachers’ salaries are unpaid for half a year because in the later one, not a single percentage can be deducted in any ways. According to the report, the delay of the salaries was due to change of guard in Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD). Probably, MHRD is taking six months to seek for details and clarifications (nice joke). What an unproductive central government we have! Are state government and concern department only interested in quantitative progress of the schools? It is clearly indicated that the current state of affairs in school education has inadequate attention towards the teachers’ welfare for shaping schools as centre of learning. It is so disheartening to realise that teachers who are the developers of the future society are unpaid more than half of the year. Is this the standard of government of Nagaland and concern department’s policy towards State Education and about shaping the individual through quality education? SSA is a time bound educational programme to achieve universal education at primary and upper primary levels with the sufficient 90% financial support from central government and Nagaland state government on payment of only 10% making it the lowest state’s share comparing with other states who give regular salaries with higher states’ share. Education is an ethical endeavour and responsibility of the teachers as well as the government and the concern department towards the progressive society. What type of Government in the world would be successful in hiring thousands of qualified teachers to teach without being paid and expect/impose quality education? Humanly speaking, what moral education can teacher give to students at this juncture while the school buildings are newly constructed, computers are installed, mid day meals are dropped by brand new pickup truck yet their salaries are unpaid for many months? Such unbalance treatment from the government towards teaching community is indeed very demoralising. I believe, of all the elected politicians, the best one is given portfolio of Education Minister, of all the qualified bureaucrats, the best one is given to administer the Education Department, of all the most experienced and senior most educationists, the best one become the Education Director because Education Department unlike other departments is the Temple of Learning and it is the making of all the Departments in the state. The sanctity of education cannot be compromised at any cost by teachers and likewise the government and the department concern. I for one, opine that the present demand of Nagaland Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Teaachers’ Aassociation (NSSATA) for regular salary is not a big political issue to resolve amicably but rather a big shame on the part of the government and the concern department failing to do their normal obligations towards the teaching fraternity/community for the cause of quality education who are at the mission field. My heart falls for the effected students who are mostly from the poorest of the poorest background (economically and socially) for which SSA Teachers are sent to transact the magic of education as part of the universal eradication of illiteracy. Now, I honestly don’t know whether I am the right person in this mission or the government is deliberately making me believe that I am in a wrong profession. Let’s not talk about quality education for sometime unless we know the true meaning and power of EDUCATION. School Education and Politics are different entity. A flight pilot cannot be the captain of the ship.

With full of contemplation.

Jetilo Apon SSA Teacher