The education department has been under the spotlight for all the wrong reasons for decades. Everyone knows the problem and the solution, yet not enough is being done to implement the solutions. Minister Pasang Dorjee Sona has been advocating implementation of solutions by visiting various districts to understand the issues before preparing a roadmap for the department.
Addressing the Legislative Assembly recently, he stated that the non-implementation of rationalisation in teachers’ transfer and posting is one of the biggest challenges in reforming the education department. He squarely blamed his colleagues for excessive political interference in the transfer and posting of teachers, which is affecting the education scenario. Rightly, he said that although there is political consensus not to interfere in the transfer and posting of teachers, many legislators do interfere because it relates to their political careers. Government employees are some of the biggest drivers of local politics, so legislators cannot afford not to interfere in the posting of employees, irrespective of the department they belong to.
As he shared, the department’s roadmap for the education department has identified fundamental flaws. That in itself is an achievement. However, it is going to be a difficult path for the minister to clean up the mess, but he seems to be doing his job earnestly. Therefore, he should be extended the help he is seeking from his colleagues. His simple request is: do not interfere in departmental decisions. It is not too difficult a dictate to follow.