ANTA strongly protests the move of deployment of Policemen to teach school children.

Port Blair, Sept. 30: In yet another controversy blowing up the Education Department, Police personnel have been deployed to teach school children in collaboration with the school administration of GSSS Malacca, Car Nicobar. This has come up in the wake of 3 schools of Nicobar district fetching zero pass percentage in the AISSC examination 2012. It is learnt that, on the direction of Police top brass, volunteers were invited from among the policemen/ policewomen having qualifications prescribed for a teacher from the department through an internal signal circular to be deployed to teach the students of Board Classes of some of such poorly performing schools of Car Nicobar.

The Andaman Nicobar Teachers’ Association has strongly objected this move. While speaking to the Media, the President of the Association Shri Y. Sajeevan said that the entire teaching community feels dejected and insulted with this incident. It is good that there are many highly qualified personnel in the Police department, but the teachers in the Education department are better experienced, trained and competent professionals, he said. The qualified Police personnel should apply their intellect and wisdom in their own job jurisdiction. Every department has its own defined goals and objectives on which its human resource should concentrate and endure to bring quality in their service, the ANTA President said.

ANTA feels that the reason for the miserable performance of the school was not due to the incompetency of the teaching faculty but due to the poor managerial skills of the newly inducted school administrator. The Directorate of Education had already instituted a three member investigation team months ago to probe the dismal performance of such schools.

Moreover, the contents of the circular issued by the Police Chief within the units of his department are highly objectionable. Shri. Sajeevan said that the floating copy of the circular states that “It is a matter of great shame that in three schools at Car Nicobar, not even a single student was successful in the recent CBSE class XII examination. This is due to the lack of qualified and willing teachers in the southern group……. The A & N police should take it as a challenge so that these students do not become frustrated and go towards drug abuse.”

ANTA views these remarks and incident as very unfortunate for the entire community of 5537 teachers. What is ironical is that in spite of having prior knowledge of the gestures of the Police Department, the Directorate of Education has succumbed to the adversity. ANTA chief said that the teachers are working in very difficult and trying conditions with inadequate infra-structure and no moral support in the southern group of islands. In contrast to the bonanza incentives proposed by the Police department for the volunteers in the circular, the teachers are posted to the southern group with a punitive attitude.  

However, the ANTA President signalled this as a wake-up call to all the teachers of the islands to rededicate themselves for securing the integrity of the community and enduring effort for the prosperity of the islands by imparting best education to each and every child.