It appears that the education department, despite making all the right noises with good intentions, is unable to address the accumulated mess, with reports surfacing about disparities in the deployment of ministerial and clerical staffers across the state’s deputy director of school education (DDSE) offices, the directorate of elementary education (DEE), and the directorate of secondary education (DSE).
The disproportionate posting of staffers reveals a preference for certain districts while clearly neglecting the needs of others. The figures suggest favouritism towards specific offices, while a vast majority of larger districts, often with difficult geographical locations, have been left with very few staffers – sometimes as little as one.
An investigation by this paper has revealed that the directorate at the state level has retained a large number of clerical employees – more than 60 in total.
The DEE has 27 clerical staff members, while the DSE has 37. In contrast, districts like Kamle, Kra Daadi, and Pakke-Kessang each have only one clerical staff member in their DDSE offices. By comparison, Shi-Yomi and Keyi Panyor have just two clerical staff members each, while East Siang has 44, followed by Changlang with 32. Even larger districts like East Kameng, and border districts like Kurung Kumey and Dibang Valley have not received adequate attention from the state education department in terms of clerical deployment. Together, the districts of East and West Kameng, Kurung Kumey, Dibang Valley, and Upper Siang have fewer staffers than East Siang, a district with easier accessibility and better health and education facilities.
While there is controversy over the issue, with reports of employees refusing to leave their current postings, leaving the government in an awkward position, it would make sense to implement a time-bound posting and transfer policy, which should be strictly enforced. The lax attitude of the department and political interference must become a thing of the past for the sake of the state.