“Teachers who are engaged as LIC agents, journalists, and party politics, beware” Assam CM issues warning

“Teachers are working as journalists, LIC agents and even engaging in party politics, beware” this was the response of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to a question about the role of teacher in the subpar performance of government schools in 2022 HSLC examinations.

Merely 56.49% of students passed out of the total 4,19,887 who appeared. In Cachar, the pass percentage was 43.03%, while it was 48.89% and 47.20% in Hailakandi and Karimganj respectively. This is a steep decline from the statewide 64% of 2020 (as there were no offline exams in 2021).

People are expressing their ire towards the inaction of government school teachers and pointing out the slack bureaucracy in government schools. The former Education Minister of Assam went on to warn teachers who have employed themselves in other professions, implying strict action against them.

It is important to note that during the pandemic, many students reported a lack of electronics that would have enabled them to attend online classes. The Covid-19 pandemic put an unprecedented amount of pressure among students, especially those belonging to low-income brackets. What provisions the state has made for their future still remains unclear.

However, chief minister Sarma was clear in his warnings to teachers. “Teachers who are engaged as LIC agents, journalists, and party politics, beware,” said Sarma, adding, “Sailing with legs spread in multiple boats will turn dangerous.”