Shortage of staff hits Government Boys’ HS School

FROM OUR Special Correspondent
Silchar, June 17: It is a travesty of fact that the Government Boys’ Higher Secondary School of this town, the second oldest educatiol institution in Assam, is hit by shortage of staff, both teaching and non-teaching, for the last several months. This has adversely affected the academic environment as well as administrative capability of the institution. This dismal scerio of the institution was presented to the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar in a memorandum submitted by the teachers and members of the School Magement Demand Committee (SMDC) on Friday.
It was conveyed to the Deputy Commissioner if immediate measures were not initiated to remedy the situation, it would only generate resentment and even lead to agitation. It is to be noted here that this educatiol institution is one of the pioneer higher secondary schools of this southern Assam. It celebrated its sesquicentennial anniversary in 2012-2013 and during this frame of time, this school has produced hundreds of alumni who have added to the glory and fame of this institution. These lumiries have made a place of distinction in the wide are of life where they have been placed.
Notwithstanding this glorious heritage and tradition, the school run and maged by the state government suffers from lack of minimum required infrastructure, besides being constrained by the shortage of academic and administrative staff. This is no doubt a matter of concern and also in glaring contrast to the emphasis of both the Central and state governments to take education to a new height of excellence. The ever increasing roll strength is a mismatch with the number of teachers appointed for different subjects. With that, the burden on ministerial staff has also increased. The problem is further compounded by the introduction of new subjects without giving due thought to the ratio of teacher and student.
 The existing staff position, both teaching and non teaching, will be clear from the following facts. Sadly enough, this institution has no permanent principal. Rather, an in-charge is running the school. Even the vice-principal is the officiating as academic in-charge. Of the 20 sanctioned posts of subject teachers, only 8 are working. It is also quite puzzling that one of the 8 subject teachers is under attachment to Cotton  Collegiate HS School, Guwahati. In lieu of 32 sanctioned posts of assistant teachers, half of them are presently working in the school.
 How teaching of practical science is affected can be understood from the fact that only 2 demonstrators are available against the sanctioned posts of 3. Still sad, there is no office staff though the sanctioned posts is 3. There are only 3 grade iv staff against the sanctioned posts of 13, of which one is under attachment to Inspector of Schools, CDC, Silchar. The memorandum rues that despite repeated representations from time to time to higher authorities concerned, no positive measures are taken.
 At the higher secondary stage, posts of subject teachers of Chemistry, Statistics, Botany, Zoology, Logic and Philosophy, Economics, English, Bengali, Hindi, Geography and Demonstrators in Biology (Botany and Zoology), and 16 assistant teachers’ are vacant. Shockingly, for long 18 months, there has been no teaching on the subject of Logic. Students are the worst sufferers of this achronism. In the circumstances, it is a herculean task for a principal in-charge and the academic in-charge to mage the affairs of the school smoothly and efficiently. It is also unthinkable to do justice to students with acute shortage of teaching staff.
 Considering the gravity of the situation and taking into consideration the larger interests of students and guardians, besides maintaining the pride and prestige of this age old institution, the teachers and members of the SMDC plead with the Deputy Commissioner to exert his good offices in order to remove the deficiencies plaguing this school. The memorandum was signed by Dr Bibhash Dev, president, Uttam Kr Saha, vice president, Parbin Sulta Laskar, principal in-charge cum secretary, Goutam Chakraborty, teacher representative, Mintu Paul, guardian representative and Rajesh Tamuli, teacher, of the SMDC. A copy of the memorandum was also sent to the Inspector of Schools and to the Commissioner-Secretary, Education and Director of Higher Secondary.
 Apart from that, students in general of the Government Boys’ HS School along with the students of Government Girls’ HS School agitated over the shortage of staff today held protest demonstration in front of the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar. They also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, urging upon him for remedial action without further delay. A copy of this memorandum was also submitted to the Inspector of Schools, Cachar District Circle. On this related issue, AIDSO Cachar district committee too approached the Deputy Commissioner today and apprised him of the worrying position in relation to the teaching and non teaching staff, calling for effective measures.