Minister for Education Sakina Itoo on Saturday said the government will move a resolution in the upcoming Assembly session seeking relief for in-service teachers affected by the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exam, saying the issue was not merely about an examination but about the “dignity and honour” of the teachers.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a Teachers’ Day function organised at SKICC Srinagar, Sakina Itoo said the government had already approached the Supreme Court on the TET issue, saying that affected teachers were under considerable mental stress.
“We have already gone to the Court about TET, but the teachers are in a lot of depression which takes a toll on the children’s education in schools,” she said.
The minister said the government considered the dignity and honour of teachers paramount, saying the teachers who “prepare millions of children for examinations should not be placed in a situation that undermines their own standing.”
“When the teacher is mentally disturbed, how can he educate the child? The issue is not about the test but the dignity of teachers,” she added.
Itoo said she would bring a resolution to the Legislative Assembly once the upcoming session begins and expressed confidence it would pass by a majority.
“We will pass that resolution in the majority so that the teachers who are depressed can come out of their depression and teach the school children properly,” she said.
She further said that the teachers play a vital role in a child’s development, saying that once parents leave their children in school, teachers assume responsibility not only for their education but also for teaching them basic skills and values.
“Teachers teach children how to walk, how to speak and help shape them during their formative years. The contribution of teachers is greater than what could adequately be acknowledged on Teachers’ Day,” she said.
She further said that J&K has achieved a 98.4 percent literacy rate and claimed that the School Education Department (SED) had now declared the Union Territory “100 per cent literate”.
She said J&K had attained the milestone after the remaining districts were covered.
Earlier in her address to the teachers, Sakina Itoo said the government was taking the issues confronting the teaching community seriously.
She also defended teachers against “disproportionate amplification” of isolated incidents on social media, saying that the contribution of teachers, who spend years working with students, was often ignored while minor negative incidents are highlighted on social media platforms.
“Today, if there is even a small mistake of our teacher, it is presented in such a big way; his contribution is not remembered,” she said.
She said the dignity of teachers cannot be protected by the government alone, but society also has a responsibility to respect and appreciate them.
She, however, called upon teachers to ensure that students are treated with care and compassion, saying every child should feel safe, important and loved in school.
“Every child who goes to school should feel they belong and are loved,” she said.
She said the government wanted to transform the education department into the best-performing department in Jammu and Kashmir.
She appealed to teachers and officers to work as a team to strengthen government education and reduce dependence on private schools.
“We want to build a better education system for the children of Jammu and Kashmir so that they do not have to go to private schools,” she said.
