College Teachers

Assam Education Minister Dr Ranoj Pegu deserves all praise for holding college teachers squarely responsible for the poor performance of students who took the BA Semester III examination of 2024 under Gauhati University, the result of which was released recently. As prominently reported in the Sunday edition of this newspaper, the minister has stated that the poor results have reflected the systemic failure of the colleges, apart from administrative negligence. That the quality of teaching in the colleges of the state has rapidly deteriorated is an open secret, as is the quality of teachers. As pointed out in a letter sent to all college principals by the education minister, the low pass percentage is also a reflection of non-compliance with the examination protocols. It is a sad commentary that the actual pass percentage in the said Semester III examination stood at a pathetically low 26.22, and, even after awarding grace marks quite generously, the pass percentage rose only to a little over 58. What is also a matter of grave concern is that a number of colleges had failed to upload the marks of the internal, practical and end-semester examinations within the given deadlines despite repeated notifications sent by Gauhati University. The colleges have also wrongly marked as "absent" a large number of candidates despite their presence, while certain other grossly irresponsible acts of the colleges have led to incorrect selection of papers and other serious lapses. While the education minister himself has described the situation as "unacceptable" and one that has tarnished the credibility of the higher education system as a whole, this is a glaring example of dereliction of duty by the colleges, for which the principals and in-charge officers of the examination should be not only pulled up but held accountable and awarded punishment under provisions of the law. There is now no doubt that the teaching community associated with the colleges has the least sense of duty and responsibility, particularly in respect of the future of hundreds of students whose future is now engulfed in darkness. The latest incident, however, is only the tip of the iceberg. A reality check will probably reveal more and bring to light how the best-paid category of people in the state have been playing with the future of thousands of students. That quite a number of college teachers do not possess a consistently good academic record, that many of them hold degrees from institutions outside the state which are notorious for awarding first-class marks, and that a number of college teachers hold PhD degrees from certain universities where such degrees are available on sale is another matter.