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Ram I think this problem has to be discussed as a part of the bigger problem of administrative chaos in Assam in its entirety. I read an article couple of years ago informing us that the teachers these days are a well-paid section of the people. I do not know whether it includes primary school teachers but it would be unreasonable to think that they have been totally left out. The article I read said that after Independence the teachers have benefited from about 13 pay commissions. A secondary school teacher in the villages today can afford to maintain a car. In India that would be a middle-class situation. I had been in Assam just three weeks ago. While passing Jalukbari on my way to the airport, I noticed posters demanding Central Government University payscales by the staff of the Gauhati University. Such discrepancy does exist but on the whole teachers seem to be adequately paid. The Gogoi government claimed that at least they paid the salaries of officials regularly; before they took over government servants as well as semi-government school staff did not get their salaries for months. There was no money in the kitty, the treasury itself. Why blame school teachers alone for truancy? Don’t office assistants and others play truant ever? As an ex-Government official, I can regale netters with stories of ingenuity which Government servants concocted in order to enjoy unauthorised absences from work. I am told in another context that inspecting officers do not go on tour as their travelling allowances were drastically cut down. Besides slack headteachers where the primary school teacher is not an one-man or one-woman show, the public could be less vigilant belonging to, as expected, the hobo deeok culture. I suppose a primary school teacher either with superior social contacts or a dominating personality could safely ignore his head if needed. Chief Secretaries who want the Secretariat staff to be regular in attendance rarely succed. In my experience senior staff often connive to protect the defaulters. So,what do you expect? |
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