By Dr Asangba Tzudir
Earlier this month, the Directorate of School Education Nagaland through a notification ordered the transfer and posting of at “least 1650 teachers” as part of a large scale rationalization exercise, and to which various objections have been raised from various quarters. Such objections genuine or otherwise in the professional and moral context will be there because there can never be or it will be a very humongous task to create the perfect realization unless it is done by AI after having fed with the data and case specific or structural requirements.
Nagaland’s Advisor for School Education has said that “the ongoing process of transfers and posting of teachers will continue despite opposition from various quarters. However, he has assured that “exceptional cases will be handled with a sensitive approach.” But soon after, the Directorate of School Education through its principal director dt. 17th February 2025 issued a notification to keep “the notification on hold till further orders pending review.”
Now, what does this notification ‘keeping on hold’ imply? Does it mean that all teachers who have been transferred to another school is to stay in their original place of posting, or those teachers who have already taken their release order and joined in their new place of posting continue in their new place? Now the phrase ‘keeping on hold’ would mean that the transferred teachers should remain in their original place. But for sure, many would have complied with the order which required them to join in their new place of posting within 7 days.
However, as the advisor has said that the Rationalisation process will continue, and that the new notification putting on hold the earlier notification, and not that the notification was suspended or cancelled, those who have already officially joined in their new place of posting be allowed to continue, and as the advisor have said that “exceptional cases will be handled with a sensitive approach”, let there be a review of the exceptional cases instead while continuing the process of rationalization because such an exercise is not easy as it concerns the welfare of both the students as well as the teachers.
For the Government, this process of rationalization has presented a situation where caving into public pressure will only create more problems. Yes there will be sensitivities and conflicts, also moral dilemmas but it is also for the Government to be firm because such an exercise is not easy and a perfect situation for everyone cannot be created.
However, it also raises a pertinent question as to whether this rationalization process was part of the larger transformation process, or a process that happened in vacuum? If it is the former, then it is good but the latter requires rethinking. While the welfare of both teachers and students should be at the heart of such major rationalization exercise, it also should not in any way, come in the way of the policies and vision of education and which has become more important than before especially in the context of the major changes and shifts brought in by the New Education Policy.
As for the teachers, while acknowledging the exceptional cases, this rationalization process once again brings forth the question of responsibility and the call to duty “in the interest of public service.”
And also from a moral perspective, those teachers that are placed in a comfortable or convenient place is also because the other is not in their place of convenience, and that the place of convenience should not be taken as permanent. At the end of the day, this ongoing rationalisation process is not a case between humans and machines.
(Dr Asangba Tzudir writes weekly guest editorials for The Morung Express. Comments can be emailed to asangtz@gmail.com)
