Harsha Sarma
(harshasarma183@gmail.com)
At present, it can be said that government school teachers are no longer facing financial hardship. Their salaries have improved significantly, and even newly appointed teachers now earn from thirty to fifty thousand rupees monthly. However, upon joining the service, many of them start suffering from mental stress and dilemmas. This mental distress usually begins during student enrolment drives, education quality evaluation programmes (Gunotsav), and various student-related examinations.
Currently, Assam is witnessing the ‘Utsav Vidyarambh’ programme. Competing with private schools, government school teachers are now forced to go door-to-door seeking student admissions. Except for two or three prestigious government schools, around 95% of schools are struggling to enrol students. Due to a lack of students, nearly six thousand government schools, particularly Assamese medium ones, have been closed down. This situation reflects the declining public trust in government schools. Partly, the government administration and partly, the careless attitude of some teachers towards their profession are responsible for this erosion of trust. Before 2010, there was no proper guideline for teacher recruitment in Assam. Although earlier, school management committees used to have some power to recruit teachers, and they emphasised a candidate’s merit, morality, and character. But from the early 1980s till the end of the second term of the AGP government, direct political interference marred teacher recruitment. Merit and character took a backseat, and political affiliations dominated hiring decisions. As a result, individuals without any academic background or even basic literacy skills ended up becoming government school teachers. Consequently, the public lost faith in government schools, preferring not to entrust their children to such teachers. They started seeking alternatives, and at that time private schools mushroomed even in remote corners. Highly educated youths, facing unemployment, saw an opportunity and established schools, showing extraordinary courage. Those who set up schools with dedication, honesty, and a spirit of sacrifice succeeded, and their private schools outshone many government schools. In contrast, many government teachers, showing negligence in their teaching duties, contrasted with private school teachers who, despite modest pay, taught sincerely. Thus, public trust in private schools grew rapidly. Meanwhile, government schools faced shortages of both teachers and students, crippling the system. During this time, under the leadership of then Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the Assam government recruited subject-related teachers for English, Mathematics, General Science, and Social Science in each government school around 2010. These recruitments were transparent and merit-based. The return of meritorious youths to the noble teaching profession helped restore some trust in government schools. Later, teacher recruitments started being conducted through the TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) system, widely acknowledged as a fair and merit-based procedure. TET-based recruitments are still going on, helping significantly reduce teacher shortages, and at the same time, many school infrastructures have improved. Yet, despite the presence of meritorious teachers and better facilities, government schools have still not regained their lost glory. It is now time for the education department and teachers to introspect on why many students continue to flock to private schools with minimal facilities instead of choosing government institutions.
One visible aspect of the teachers’ mental struggle emerges during Gunotsav. Schools now register student enrolment and attendance through the UDISE system. During Gunotsav, educational materials and OMR sheets are prepared based on UDISE data. However, in reality, many students listed in UDISE are absent from classrooms. Many parents are still not aware that sending their children to school is their responsibility; they feel that simply enrolling their child is enough. Once parents leave for work early in the morning, they pay no attention to whether their child goes to school or not.
When teachers go looking for students during Gunotsav, only then do parents become aware. Some parents may forcibly send their children to school, but instances of students running away are not uncommon. Teachers sometimes face embarrassing situations while trying to bring absent students back. Gunotsav rules make it compulsory for every student listed in UDISE to attend and take the evaluation. If students are absent, their OMR sheets remain unassessed, which directly impacts the school’s grade. Many schools have received B, C, or D grades owing to their irregular student attendance.
Teachers feel deeply demoralised when, despite all their efforts, they fail to get students to sit for evaluations. It feels like a waste of their hard work, leading to frustration and mental anguish. Teachers also suffer during annual and final examinations. Some students who skip Gunotsav also avoid sitting for the annual exams. Shockingly, in some schools, students are not even aware when exams are scheduled. Teachers have to go to students’ homes to make them fill out exam forms. In some cases, teachers even personally pay the examination fees for a few students to ensure participation. Despite this, some students still refuse to sit the examination. The Assam State School Education Board now mandates that institutions must have at least 100 students enrolled to qualify as an examination centre for the HS final examination. If a few students fail to fill out exam forms, the school risks losing its examination centre status, causing further anxiety among teachers. Even after phone calls, repeated requests, and financial assistance, if students show reluctance to participate in examinations, it deeply saddens the teachers. After investing so much effort, it is natural for them to feel disheartened if results are not fruitful.
Thus, government school teachers urgently need introspection to ease their mental distress. They can adopt strategies like forming student groups led by assigned teachers (mentoring programmes) from the very beginning of enrolment. Regular home visits could help too. Teachers must engage deeply with students, listen carefully to their problems, and show them — through real examples — that education is not just about academics but also about building character and living a meaningful life. Organising frequent parent-teacher meetings and small environmental initiatives like planting saplings together could foster a sense of ownership among all stakeholders. It is essential to communicate clearly that education is not solely for securing jobs but also for becoming civilised, cultured individuals and finding a beautiful path in life. Today, the government is providing free food and free education to underprivileged families. All that remains is to ensure good quality education – a responsibility that government teachers must fulfil with utmost dedication. Once our surroundings are filled with truly educated individuals who value education, the current mental distress of teachers will gradually transform into organised, fulfilling work. For that, a little sacrifice and a practical, honest outlook are necessary. Otherwise, the aggressive allure of “lollipop promises” from some private schools will continue to outshine government schools, and the mental pressure and unrest among government teachers will never truly end.