Editor,
I wish to highlight the deep-rooted and persistent crises crippling the education system of Arunachal Pradesh -a state that continues to record the lowest literacy rate in the entire Northeast.
While public discourse often places blame on teachers, it is, in fact, the repeated policy failures and administrative negligence of the Government of Arunachal Pradesh that lie at the heart of this decline.
A particularly alarming issue is the routine deployment of teachers -including those handling critical Class 10 and 12 board subjects – for election and non-academic duties during the peak academic season. This compels us to ask: Is election duty more important than CBSE examinations? Pre-board exams commence in early January, followed by CBSE board examinations from February onwards. Yet, during these crucial months, teachers are frequently withdrawn from classrooms. How can students be expected to perform well when their teachers are not available to guide them?
Another serious concern is the condition of nearly 6,240 SSA teachers and around 700 guest teachers. They work with very low salaries, no job security, and no chance for career growth. Despite these difficulties, they remain responsible for the learning of thousands of students. When teachers are not supported or respected, how can the education system improve?
There is also an alarming shortage of subject teachers in government schools, especially in science, commerce, and languages. Many higher secondary schools do not have specialised teachers, forcing others to teach subjects outside their expertise. While Assam recently recruited more than 10,000 teachers – including 4,500 in the 2024-25 session -Arunachal has released only 111 PGT posts after seven long years. This clearly reflects a lack of seriousness towards strengthening our education system.
The poor literacy rate of Arunachal is not the failure of students or teachers. It is the result of long-term government negligence – overburdening teachers with non-academic duties, paying them poorly, giving them no job security, and failing to recruit enough qualified staff.
Dear parents/readers, before blaming your children or their teachers for low performance, please look at the larger picture. Why not question the government about the real issues affecting our schools? Open your eyes and see around – our system is failing, and children are suffering because of it.
As the saying goes, “When teachers are happy, students flourish; when students flourish, education rises.” It is high time our policies and actions reflected this fundamental truth.
Observer