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Amritanj Indiwar
The economic bifurcation in society is being fostered by Government school teachers and their fashion of teaching, that has changed completely from what it used to be in the time when schools were called temples of learning, writes Amritanj Indiwar
Thousands of contractual teachers in Bihar had gone on a strike in April, demanding pay at par with the regular teachers and better working conditions in schools. The teachers on strike had shut down hundreds of schools even as the State Government had warned them of action. Officials said that the strike lasted for 35 days and ended in May, only when a written assurance was given to the teachers by Bihar Education Minister PK Shahi to fulfill their demands.
This strike that compromised with the future of several hundreds of students has made the parents sit-back and think of the politics that the Government and the teachers have been playing towards at the hands of education in the State. Is the State Government and the school teachers responsible only to provide scholarships, mid-day meal and free uniforms to the students? Do they have no responsibility towards the upliftment of the status of the poor as far as education is concerned? Does the quality of education improve just by increasing the salaries of the teachers?
“We send our children to Government schools because we cannot afford the fees that the private academies charge,” says Ram Lachan Manjhi, a farmer from Bihar who believes that the concept of private schools and Government schools has created a bifurcation in the society. “All those who can afford private education will never send their children to a Government school,” said Manjhi.
One cannot find a single primary school in the State that provides regular and quality education to its students. All middle and higher secondary Government school students are dependent on tuitions to clear the examination. Clearly, there are no eligible teachers and there is no system in place. And who requires them? The children of destitute?
The educated class and the ones who influence the policymakers, send their children to the private schools. They are not bothered about how the Government schools are functioning. According to Kapildev P Singh, an educationist, “Gone are the days when teachers played their roles with utmost honesty and responsibility. Schools were considered to be the temples of education because every teacher played the role of a guru to enlighten their students. They were not only regular but would reach school on time, help children learn lessons on timeliness and cleanliness, morning prayers played an important role then. But now expecting a Government school teacher to be regular is too much to ask for,” rues Mr Singh who believes that the quality of education these days is assessed only on the basis of mid-day meal.
Then Chief Minister of Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi had admitted it last year that the Government schools, barring a few, were not delivering expected results and they need to utilise their resources properly to provide better education and discipline their children. Expressing displeasure over the poor work culture, Mr Manjhi gave an example of teachers in Government schools.
“A Government school teacher gets `40,000 per month and a private school teacher gets only `10,000, but the teachers of Government schools don’t come on time and leave before time. This has badly affected the quality of education in the Government schools.” The result is that the students are struggling hard to read even Hindi alphabets, while primary students of private schools are speaking fluent English.
Sheila Devi, who works at the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and is apparently convinced with the current system reveals a shocking mindset — “agar gareeb ki ladkiyan padh likh jaayengi toh kheto mein kaam kaun karega? (who will work in the farms if girls from poor families will become educated).”
There are about 250 students enrolled in the middle school in Husseypur dalit colony in Sahebganj block of Muzaffarpur district but due to hopelessness of the parents towards the system, very few send their children to the school regularly. Most of the parents who work as farm-labourers, daily wage workers and are involved in other menial jobs complain that their children come back home after playing and having their mid-day meals. They go to school for namesake.
Random inspection does put the system in place but for a short while. It forces the school authorities to work systematically — teachers come on time, conduct classes regularly, mid-day meals are given according to the fixed menu but things get back to normal within days. But when the same teachers go on strike and demand better salaries, they must also introspect on the kind of services they are providing to the public. It is important for the Government to put in place a proper system that will assess teachers on the basis of regularity and the result their schools are putting up every year. If the Government schools will continue to operate like this, then the poor children will never be able to compete with the children who have better economic backgrounds. They should not be treated as children of a lesser god.
