Advisor school education and SCERT, Dr. Kekhrielhoulie Yhome, lamented that the Department of School Education (DoSE) was in a total mess, but expressed the hope that he will be able to bring major positive changes soon.
Addressing a press conference at Japfü Hotel here on the eve of Teachers’ Day, Dr. Yhome highlighted some issues in the education sector and that though things were messy, most of the problems have been detected and hoped to solve most of them at the earliest.
He said five months back the school education department had no idea about how many teachers were under the department but after conducting surveys it had come up with a data in government schools. Dr. Yhome also admitted that there was shortage of teachers as there has been no recruitment for a long time. He however expressed optimism that the department will be bringing a solution to address the teacher shortage.
The Advisor identified some biggest challenges faced by the department such as transfer and posting of teachers who were being tossed around; lack of professional growth within teachers (though dedicated teachers needed to be appreciated) and also how some use political connection to get transfer to their favoured places.
He said these were some of the areas where the government needed to regularly intervene and be updated. The Advisor also alleged that some of the village councils were hand in glove with the practise of proxy teachers for the purpose of dividing salaries.
In this regard, he appreciated the student unions that were working diligently to bring change in the education system. Dr. Yhome also furnished a list of overall lists of retired teachers as of December 31, 2024 where a total of 510 teachers and staff will be retiring.
The Advisor said that once those teachers retire, the department will face a high shortage of teachers again.
He said also opined that seniority over merit, has killed the education department and had affected school education very thoroughly. “I am sorry to say that the directorate is already dead, the directorate which is working very hard but it is run by directors, additional directors and the kind of cooperation they are getting from the senior officers, it is simply not there,” he said.
On the issue of transfers and posting where teachers come with various reasons, he said that the department needed to recognise real people with real problem. “A lot of personal touch is necessary in school education,” Yhome said.
He also said the department was working to overcome the issue of proxy teachers and stop it completely.
The Advisor asserted that the department was committed to work hard to improve the system of education.