Proactive Senior Citizens’ Forum writes to CM for filling up posts of language teachers

way2barak, Sept. 1: Till now, the state government has conducted Gunotsav thrice in the government and provincialised schools of the state to assess and thereby make positive intervention in improving the quality of education. Though the state government has appointed TET qualified teachers in various schools, yet till now especially the Higher Secondary schools are suffering much due to the lack of teachers in language subjects.

It is in this backdrop that Prof. Dilip Kumar Dey, Retired Principal and General Secretary of Proactive Senior Citizens’ Forum, Silchar wrote a letter to the Chief Minister of Assam wherein he highlighted the plight of the HS Schools without any language teachers. Prof Dey also sent copies of this letter to State Education Minister, Chief Secretary, Commissioner of Education, Deputy Commissioners of the 3 districts of Barak Valley and Director of Higher Education, Assam.

In that letter, Prof. Dilip Kumar Dey on behalf of Proactive Senior Citizens’ Forum, Silchar wrote, “Students at higher secondary level in Govt and Provincialised Schools and Colleges are kept deprived of getting lessons from teachers in language subjects in the state in general and in Bengali in Barak Valley Districts in particular for non-filling up of posts. In Barak Valley, most of the schools don’t have Bengali Language Teachers at Higher Secondary level and colleges for years together. In Silchar town itself, almost all higher secondary schools including the Government H.S. schools, there is no subject- teacher in Bengali. For instance, very old institutions like Narsing Higher Secondary School, D. N. N. K. Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Govt. Boys’ Higher Secondary School, Govt. Girls’ H. S. School, Silchar don’t have any Subject- teacher in Bengali. Some schools even don’t have teachers in English and other subjects.”

Saying so, the Proactive Senior Citizens’ Forum also provided a viable solution to the Chief Minister in this connection. They wrote, “We understand that permanent appointments are made out of TET passed candidates having post-graduate degrees and professional qualification like B. Ed. If such TET pass candidates are not available, it is not justified to deprive the students from academic instruction in their mother language subjects. Part-timers with Master degree and B. Ed. may be engaged in language and other subjects and particularly in Bengali till TET qualified candidates are available. Curtailment of academic rights of learners in Govt and Provincialised Higher Secondary Schools and Colleges is not only undesirable, but also unethical. If there are institutions and subjects, there should be teachers, either full-time or part-time, from educational point of view.”

“We, the senior citizens, many of whom are retired academicians request you to appoint part-time teachers with academic qualifications till TET and NET pass candidates are available, to meet the educational needs of the students. Such part-time teachers may be paid at 50℅ of the remuneration entitled to a permanent faculty member. An urgent step in this matter is solicited. There should be an end to academic deprivation,” added Prof. Dilip Kumar Dey in his letter.