We belong to a respectable lower middle class family and do follow our categorical ethos. My parents and so was I brought up with principles, ethics and grew between alternate spasms of destitute and affluence accompanied with augmented sense of morals and rigid attitude toughened by the spells of parched days of economic upheavals and societal blows. You will be shocked to know that my father is college professor by commission and mom, a plus 2 teacher and yet we suffer hard for almost three fourth of a year. I don’t have many siblings. We are just two. I have an elder sister who is also doing engineering like me. It’s not even that we lead a grand, luxurious life. We study in government engineering college with nominal fees. We eat normal food, don’t visit places and have no savings. We don’t have great decorated house, but it surely display austerity and simplicity, the essence of lives we are leading. There are no liabilities with us. No grandparents to take care or any other kind of charity work. Yet we suffer, when we have our right share of right money but their allotment always deferred by 6 months or even more. Every night when my parents go to sleep they recall the loans and upcoming problems. Every night spent in rumination and every spare moment spent in devising out ways to manage from petty things to huge endeavors. And at this point I want to remind you my parents are both in teaching profession. This is not condition of my own family. I just want you to realize there are several other families with even much more liabilities, families with more children to be brought up, families with just one earning member, families with old parents to look after, families with much more loans, families with much more social standings, and liabilities goes on.

I appreciate your attempt to revamp our state and your endeavors to make it a better place altogether and so I laud your attempts to improve the education system. But at the same time I want to draw your attention towards the negligence and hassle though which any person in teaching profession has to go through because of your certain policies. The anguish and indignation of this community is stark apposite and your discrimination and ignorance towards them completely unfair. Such a respectable profession is now looked upon as something disparaging. This unreasonable discrimination has not only derogated the intellect of this intellectual community but has diminished the vigor and enthusiasm with which they joined this profession. It is not only eroding away their efficiency but mooching away their interest in teaching. How can a preoccupied mind with zillion troubles concentrate on problems of their students. 1-5% may be that altruistic and selfless. But here we are talking about rest 95-99%. By your numerous plans like free mid day meals, distribution of free bicycles, uniforms etc to name a few you can coerce students to schools but what next. They are as good as in home without a good teacher to guide them, to teach them. You can coerce teachers into the classrooms but what next. You cannot supervise them all time. Teaching is a mental process accompanied with huge amount of interest and attention which in turn requires mental peace and above all a feeling, a feeling of being treated fairly, a feeling of getting what one deserves, a sense of pride in what he/she is doing. According to our own Indian culture, teachers are regarded as god, and a school/college as temple. How can a glum, indignant god bestow its student with blessings and be a boon.

I cannot talk much about your policies much as I am not an economist or some expert analyst. I am a mere undergraduate, to be engineer, little bit good with my machines, projects, and pointers. I am already burdened with upcoming semester examinations, preparation for GRE and CAT. I would most probably drop the idea of GRE as financially my parents cannot afford my higher studies abroad despite the fact I can easily get though it with my intellect and my father is a college professor and my mom a plus 2 teacher.

So the point here is that I don’t have much knowledge of politics, economies and administration. For that you might be having the best people but still a naïve like me feels and observes flaws and can’t resist or suck it up. Everyday newspapers are deluged with teacher or even college professor’s taking to streets and sitting on strike. You may be right on your part in flinging their demands away and making them cede under the duress. But just take a minute or two and mull upon their condition. Nobody finds pleasure in abandoning their job and sitting under hot sun on streets, giving up their shame and clamoring and complaining, especially, the class, dignified class, about which we are talking. But yes, despair compels them to. They have not been paid since 6 months. The rest of the departments and their employees enjoys pay raise since 5 years they are still struggling for their much less deferred amount. You have been hugely magnanimous to poor people, and everybody else, but teachers. When it comes to funds for teachers, it magically disappears. Talking about long term effects, its cliché to say that ignoring education and quality teaching will have serious ramifications and whole state would suffer badly. Industries would only attracted when there are good students and skilled laborers staying in the state and could only happen when there is good education system whose backbone being teachers. I believe if you don’t take serious measures now poor will enjoy transient benefit at the cost of common people eventually making our state a place where poor will become poorer and rich will also become poor. I am also a student and a hard core “bihari” but no offence, and with whole love of world for my state, I would never like to work under bihar government, especially, teaching. I witness exodus of good brains and talents from our state. Please show some concern for teachers and relenting attitude. Trust me it would do wonders. I make a sincere request, give teachers back their dignity. Their place is in classrooms laying down inception of a good future not on the streets clamoring and begging for their own hard earned money and moaning about their wretched present. We have been put through enough. Don’t test our patience. It’s infinite, but damage caused by this test is irreversible and detrimental. We condone your inefficiency but condemn disparity and deliberate negligence.

Divya Raj
Phone :9673121599
Email :divyaraj2@rediffmail.com
Address: B-301, RamShyam Apartment,Ashiana Nagar,Patna-800025

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