We are all familiar with the proverb: “Too many cooks spoil the broth”. In other words, if too many people try to take charge at a task, the end product might be ruined or it would also mean that where there are too many people trying to do something they make a mess of it. Funny as it may sound, but this proverb has obviously some relevance to the way we do our things here in Nagaland. We are well aware of the fact that in Nagaland we have so many organization, union, identity and equally innumerable power centers and authorities. One area where all this disarray has done more harm than good is to do with the functioning of our government system. As a result there is anarchy in the system resulting in more confusion and encouraging corruption and illegality. One good example of this crisis that we are experiencing is in the Department of School Education. No doubt in the last few years, efforts have been made to streamline and reform the system of the School Education Department. It has not been an easy task, especially to change old habits and to bring about a just system of fair play and equal opportunities for every Naga irrespective of class, creed or political colour. Attempts are also underway to cleanse the several anomalies and one of the visible measure seen from the government’s side is the Special Investigation Team (SIT) which has been probing into the wide spread bogus appointments in the Department of School Education and other anomalies, inherited from years of illegality that has subverted the government system.
So the opportunity to start afresh on a clean slate is present before us. We need to support the reform process now underway and to ensure that there is no backtracking. The concern department has undertaken another fresh recruitment process for Primary and Graduate Teachers. Hopefully the latest recruitment has been done with outmost professionalism and transparency. The one positive thing that we notice is that those with genuine grievances have started to file for relevant information under the Right to Information Act. Rather than taking hasty decision to go to court or stall the process of recruitment and appointment, we need to encourage the use of the RTI Act. The Department on its part (if it has done its job) should provide the necessary information demanded by complainants so that no room is left for lingering doubts or suspicion and grievances can be disposed off. Offcourse there is one thing that the government ought to clarify and perhaps do a better job of coming out with a clear, unambiguous policy on the issue of ‘qualified and trained teachers’.
Following the declaration of the latest results for Primary and Graduate Teachers, the All Nagaland Pre-service Teachers’ Association (ANPSTA) has written to the Governor with their own set of grievances. According to the ANPSTA, the recent teachers recruitment/examination was conducted in violation of the norms laid down under National council of Teacher Education (NCTE) ACT 1993, which among others, provides that 10+2 With 2 years training in elementary teacher education and 10+2+3 with 2 year elementary teacher education are the requisite qualification for elementary teachers. It also argues that the Right to Education (RTE) Act 2009 also provides that the minimum qualification for elementary teachers is 10+2+3 with (Pre-service Teachers Education) PSTE. It appears that the School Education Department in the last three to five years must have issued so many notification and their subsequent roll back and modification or relaxation that it is not at all surprising that the government has been once again caught in the wrong foot. It would have been advisable if before such a massive recruitment exercise the Department should have laid down a clear policy. This is the bane of all recruitment policy in our State where we (leaders and public also) don’t follow the rule of law but instead subvert the system to cater to our vested interests. We come up with good policy and guideline but too many people interfere to make a mess of it.
