By Tirthankar Mitra
KOLKATA: Except during at poll rallies leaders from West Bengal and away from it do not voice what was said about it when it led the rest of the country -What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow. But it is the other way around if the spirit of chief minister Suvendu Adhikari ‘s announcement that teachers recruited now and in future in the state-run and state-aided schools, will not be allowed to participate in direct politics or contest elections is anything to go by.
Chief Minister Adhikari would like to follow the example of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh as regards teachers. Only the teachers who are already in service can enjoy this right hence forth. The announcement has drawn strong reactions from the Opposition especially Communist Party of India (Marxist). The chief minister has identified it as the political outfit which has brought teachers into politics.
The chief minister has no love lost for the Communists. It does not matter whether they are functioning under the fold of democracy and are active participants in electoral politics. It makes them stand out from the practitioners of their ideology in Russia, China, Cuba as well as several countries following the ideals of socialism. But it cuts no ice with chief minister Adhikari.
His apathy for the Left dates back to his days of student politics. His allegiance lay with the Congress then. His views on the CPI(M) remained unchanged when he later switched loyalty to Trinamool Congress. In fact, the apathy for the dominant partner of the Left Front grew.
Small wonder, as it was the hey day of the CPI(M) and as he had a feel of its organisational muscle as he struggled to end it’s hegemony. Canny politician that he is, the rising leader in TMC felt that the teachers wing of the CPI(M) was a principal sinew of the party.
And now the next crop of candidates from the teachers ranks who go.by CPI{M) ideology are barred from contesting elections. On the face of it, this is a sound political move of the first BJP chief minister of West Bengal from his party standpoint.
After all, these teachers drawing salaries from the government exchequer did not cost a penny to the party. Moreover, the CPI(M) could draw from their ranks to field in the elections.
But the fact remains that minister for school education, Dipak Barman and the minister for tourism. Shankar Ghosh were once teachers. Moreover, the BJP has placed some of its leaders of its teachers cell as heads of secondary education board, council of higher secondary education, members of the legislature and the parliament.
The contradiction is glaring. The Opposition sees it as an attack on democratic rights. It appears to be another move to stifle Opposition politics. After all, teachers professing different political ideologies participate in elections.
But the CPI(M) is particularly sensitive to it as it is used to fielding school teachers especially in local body election to have fresh faces and educated nominees. The teachers have a “clean image” and all parties exploited it.
Whatever explanation the chief minister or the Opposition may dish out, the teachers are being used as pawns in a political chess board. Chief minister Adhikari contends that his move is aimed at restoring the honour of the teaching profession and improve teaching standards. He is aiming at getting support from the parents of students who are tired of politics in schools and colleges, especially the active activities of some teachers at the expense of teaching.
In doing so, he overlooks the rationale behind the choice of two of his Cabinet colleagues. Moreover, the problems faced by many teachers in the small towns and villages in West Bengal are not in his radar.
Teachers have to lend a hand in election duties, census enumeration and auditing midday meals. Other issues are inadequate Infrastructure, teaching first generation learners, overwork, communicating to the students in a particular dialect and lack of refresher courses for themselves to name a few.
But chief minister Adhikari does not seem to be interested in meeting these challenges . He is far off from taking steps to tackle them.
Education seems to not only having been taken for granted but overlooking its problems as well. A measure to cut a political rival outfit to size is the last thing to promote improvement of learning in a state whose students at home and abroad have often made the nation proud through their academic achievements. (IPA Service)
