Sikkim celebrates Teachers’ Day

ISABELLA GURUNG

Teachers play an important role in Sunaulo Sikkim: CM

GANGTOK,: Chief Minister PS Golay has urged the Sikkim Teachers’ Association (STA) to honor National Teacher Awardees by hosting receptions for them. This suggestion was made during the State-level Teachers’ Day celebration held at Manan Kendra here on Thursday.

"Teachers are gurus, and they should be celebrated every day, not just on Teachers' Day. Teachers play an important role in building a 'Sunaulo, Samriddhi, and Samartha' Sikkim. Just like receptions are hosted for artists and sportspersons who have represented Sikkim at the national and international levels, I suggest the Sikkim Teachers’ Association and the Sikkimese society also hold receptions for National Teacher Awardees. They have made Sikkim equally proud. Make it a tradition to welcome National Teacher Awardees with a grand reception," the Chief Minister expressed in his keynote address.

The State-level Teachers’ Day celebration was attended by the CM’s spouse, Krishna Maya Rai, along with cabinet ministers, dignitaries, and teachers from different schools across Sikkim.

In his address, Golay announced that the ‘Best Principal’ from each district would receive a vehicle (Bolero) from the State government. He urged ACS (Education) R. Telang to formulate criteria for selecting the ‘Best Principal’.

During the event, Golay launched the Chief Minister’s Mentorship Program for Class 10 CBSE board exams.

“This initiative is a significant step toward our goal of achieving a 100% pass rate in the Class X board examination and ensuring every student receives the guidance needed to succeed. I encourage all our students to take full advantage of this scheme.”

The Chief Minister reiterated his earlier suggestion that National Teacher Awardees should be welcomed with grand receptions and urged the STA to similarly honor State Teachers’ Awardees and Commendation Certificate Awardees.

Golay further expressed that since the SKM government came to power in 2019, they have prioritized strengthening the education sector by providing not only good infrastructure but also facilities for teachers. He highlighted various education schemes and policies of the State government, mentioning the regularization of ad-hoc teachers who had been serving for more than 17 years.

"When an ad-hoc teacher is regularized, they are taken more seriously by society. Teachers have played a crucial role in shaping the future of everyone. Previously, there were no policies related to teachers. In this budget session, we allocated 13 per cent of the budget to the education sector, the highest compared to other sectors," said Golay.

The Chief Minister urged the concerned departments, teachers, and principals to work together to strengthen the education sector.

Regarding teachers deputation, Golay remarked that it demonstrated teachers' ability to work in different fields, such as officers of the State government, and that they are capable of managing departments beyond just schools.

The Chief Minister asserted that the State Teachers’ Awardees were selected based on their achievements by ACS R. Telang and a group of juries, and not on a quota system. He urged critics not to politicize the awards, as they are based on the awardees' hard work.

He encouraged the teachers not to request transfers, as certain schools, especially those in rural areas, need good teachers. He urged guardians not to discriminate between private and government school students.

Golay congratulated the Education department for formulating the new education policy and briefly highlighted the life of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and the significance of Teacher's Day.

On the occasion, National Teacher Awardee 2023 Dr. Purna Bahadur Chettri was presented with a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh.

This year, 10 teachers, namely Dhan Kumar Gurung (Soreng), Mahendra Dong (Soreng), Tilarupa Dhakal (Gyalshing), Deepak Kumar Sharma (Namchi), Dawkit Bhutia (Mangan), Dhan Kumari Pradhan (Pakyong), Dal Bahadur Thapa (Namchi), Tek Nath Poudyal (Pakyong), Chumthi Kazi (Gangtok), and Rama Chettri (Gangtok), were presented with the State Teachers’ Award. They received cash prizes of Rs. 50,000 each.

Twenty-six teachers received Commendation Certificates along with cash prizes of Rs. 25,000 each.

The Chief Minister congratulated National Teacher Awardee 2024 Yankila Lama, the State Teachers’ Awardees, and Commendation Certificate Awardees of 2024.

In his address, Education minister Raju Basnet expressed that the State government has made significant efforts in improving the education sector.

"The CM’s Mentorship Scheme for Class 10 students aims to achieve 100 per cent results within the next 2-3 years. Our goal is to ensure student success. During the previous government’s rule, temporary teachers were referred to as ‘ad-hoc’, but under the SKM government, the term has been revised to ‘probationary,' which sounds more respectful. Teaching is a well-paid profession in Sikkim, and the State government has provided numerous facilities, schemes, and policies for the benefit of teachers and the education sector at large. However, the quality of education in Sikkim remains a concern, and we urge teachers and principals to adopt a child-centric approach to teaching,” said Basnet.

The minister further informed that the Education department is working towards fully implementing the National Education Policy by 2025-26.

Education ACS R. Telang highlighted the Education department’s mission and the transformative role education plays in the future. He mentioned that the attendance of 20,000 teachers and 60,000 students from all government schools in Sikkim is recorded daily in the Education department’s portal, which is now connected to the national data of the Ministry of Education.

STA president Kunzang Sherpa, in his address, commended the Chief Minister’s commitment to encouraging teachers and acknowledged the positive changes in Sikkim’s education sector under his leadership. He thanked the government for allocating a significant budget to education.

Sherpa also outlined the challenges facing the education sector. He expressed concern about the declining enrollment rates in rural schools and stated that STA has created a model to address this issue, which will be discussed soon. He added that the pass percentage in board exams remains unsatisfactory and needs serious attention.

The STA president emphasized the growing risk of drug addiction among students, stating that it is now a crucial issue. He proposed the establishment of residential schools with sports facilities and full-time coaches to encourage students to engage in sports and lead them away from drugs. He also requested the inclusion of mass awareness programs as an annual initiative to address pressing issues such as POCSO, AIDS, and cybercrime.

Sherpa called for the establishment of District Education and Training Institutes (DIET) in the two remaining districts of Sikkim. He also sought clarification on the third advancement grade and raised the issue of schools operating without headmasters, urging the government to conduct interviews for vacant positions.

In her speech, Rama Chettri, on behalf of the awardees, thanked the Chief Minister and the Education department for their recognition.