Teachers’ Day celebrations: CM felicitates teachers, outlines vision for education in Sikkim

ISABELLA GURUNG

GANGTOK, : On the occasion of the State-level Teachers’ Day celebration, 13 headmasters/headmistress and teachers of various government schools across Sikkim were presented with the State award, at an event organised by the State Education department at Manan Kendra here on Friday.

Commendable certificates were also presented to 24 headmasters /headmistresses and teachers of various government schools across Sikkim.

The celebration was graced by Chief Minister PS Golay as the chief guest; along with his spouse Krishna Kumari Rai as the guest-of-honour. The event also had Education minister Raju Basnet, cabinet ministers, senior officials, principals, teachers and students from schools across Sikkim.

In his address, the Chief Minister highlighted the importance of National Teacher’s Day and also paid tribute to the early efforts of Sikkimese villagers, who, despite limited resources, built schools, paid teachers, and ran night classes, demonstrating deep dedication to education. Their sacrifices laid the foundation of Sikkim’s education system, he said.

The Chief Minister congratulated national teacher awardee Karma Tempo Ethenpa, principal of PM SHRI government senior secondary school, Mangan for his recognition. Ethenpa was felicitated by President of India Draupadi Murmu at the Teachers’ Day celebration held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

The Chief Minister also congratulated the 13 State awardees and 24 commendable certificate recipients for their recognition this year.

Reflecting on his own journey, Golay acknowledged that his rise to the position of the Chief Minister was possible only because of the teachers who guided and shaped him. He stressed that whether someone becomes a Chief Minister, Governor, secretary, or excels in any profession, the foundation is always laid by teachers. He also shared his personal experience in the teaching profession, having worked as both a primary and graduate teacher in various schools across Sikkim before entering politics.

“This background makes me especially sensitive to the needs and rights of teachers. Since taking office in 2019, our government has made education a top priority, ensuring that teachers receive what is due to them and that policies are implemented with their welfare in mind. In terms of policy, Sikkim has moved ahead of many States by adopting a new teacher policy system and implementing the National Education Policy more effectively. Education receives the largest share of the State’s annual budget, aimed at ensuring even children from the most remote and underprivileged areas receive quality education,” said Golay.

The Chief Minister also highlighted significant steps in infrastructure development, such as the construction of new schools and colleges. However, he emphasized that physical development alone is not enough. A modern education system, aligned with 21st-century needs and backed by comprehensive assessment models, has also been put in place. The true success of these reforms lies in their implementation by teachers on the ground, he added.

Golay addressed recent criticisms about the increase of universities in Sikkim, noting that while some question the need for so many institutions; this opposition does not come from elected legislative members. He emphasized that true opposition exists only in the Assembly, and since the SKM party holds all 32 seats, those who criticize from outside are merely "opposers," not legitimate opposition. He argued that these "opposers" consistently object to every government initiative, be it new universities, model schools, tribal recognition for left-out communities, or welfare schemes like the Bahini scheme and Aama Samman Diwas, not out of concern for the public, but out of a selfish desire to obstruct progress.

“The government remains committed to building a university in each of Sikkim’s 31 constituencies, inspired by successful models like Dehradun, which hosts 73 universities in one region. The aim is to reduce student migration, cut education costs for families, and boost local economies through jobs, housing, transport, and services generated around these institutions. The goal is not only to retain local students but also to attract learners from across India, positioning Sikkim as an educational hub,” said Golay.

The Chief Minister strongly criticized the former government’s neglect of higher education infrastructures citing the example of Sanchaman Limbu Government Degree College in Geyzing, which was started in 2009 but remained unfinished for a decade, running out of a rented go down with no proper facilities. Under the current government, construction was fully completed in 2024, despite delays and the challenges of the COVID-19 period, with a budget of Rs 100 crore, and all contractor bills have been settled, a proof of the SKM government's integrity and efficiency, he said.

Golay also highlighted the difficult conditions faced by ad hoc teachers under the previous government. In contrast, after the current government came into power, a comprehensive Ad Hoc Teacher Regularization Policy was implemented in 2020, and by now, 2,202 teachers and 1,511 non-teaching staff have been regularized, he shared.

Regularization is being carried out in phases by batch, with the 2017 batch undergoing screening interviews and document verification starting for the 2018 batch.

The government plans to fill vacant posts, including Primary, GT, and PGT, by reserving 30% for promotions and advertising 70% for new recruitment, expected to begin in the winter due to the current academic calendar, said the Chief Minister. He urged qualified youth to prepare and pursue teaching as a serious career.

The Chief Minister mentioned that the government is also considering increasing the retirement age for teachers to 60 years, in line with Central government services and many other States. While this may slightly delay opportunities for younger candidates, it ensures experienced teachers can serve longer and retire with dignity, he said.

The new system promises that once appointed as a probationary teacher, they will be regularized within 4–6 years, and no transfers will be permitted during this probation to maintain teaching continuity in areas of need.

So far, around 3,029 probationary teachers have been appointed, including 199 language teachers.

The Chief Minister assured that the State government is fully committed to addressing teachers’ concerns, including promotions, with a specific 30% quota for internal promotions being implemented where applicable. For instance, PGT posts have 40–45 vacancies, and eligible candidates can be promoted to PGT, and later even to principal positions.

“When the current administration took office, many schools lacked proper leadership, senior secondary, secondary, and primary schools were being run by in-charges. The government promptly conducted interviews and appointed principals, headmasters, and headmistresses, filling those longstanding vacancies.”

The Chief Minister informed that a new rule has also been implemented: teachers on deputation are allowed to appear for promotion interviews, but if promoted, they must serve in their new role for at least one year before seeking any deputation again. This policy ensures fairness and prevents misuse of promotions just to maintain deputation privileges, which can block others from advancing, he said.

Recognizing the critical role of teachers, Golay shared that the government has provided them with better pay scales compared to other employees of similar qualification levels. However, teaching-specific allowances will not be granted to those on deputation, ensuring that the value of actual classroom teaching is maintained and not equated with administrative roles, he said.

The Chief Minister said that the government has also taken significant steps in support of Sanskrit education. Initially only nine Sanskrit teachers were working on a temporary basis, but the administration regularized those and appointed 144 new Sanskrit teachers, bringing salary parity with general subject teachers.

Golay added that for assistant professors, who are gazetted officers unlike school teachers, the government adopted a regularization policy in March 2023, regularizing 47 assistant professors without interviews, even though NET qualifications are generally required. Additionally, 54 new assistant professors were appointed, and 64 new posts were created, reflecting the government's seriousness in preventing faculty shortages in higher education, he said.

The Sikkim government has launched several initiatives to support students and strengthen the education system. Recognizing the financial burden on students preparing for NEET and JEE, the State has started “Lakshya Centre of Excellence” at TNHS Gangtok in collaboration with Thomson Digital, offering coaching to 100 selected students. Additionally, under “Aspire Sikkim,” free coaching for competitive exams like UPSC, NDA, CA, IBPS, CAT, and Naval Academy will begin from next year, involving local teachers. The Chief Minister Mentorship Program and winter coaching camps have improved board exam results. The government also ensured land allotment for a permanent NIT campus in Khamdong, after years of delay under the previous regime.

On the school closures issue, the Chief Minister clarified that no school will be permanently closed. Temporarily suspending schools with very low enrollment is a necessary step due to declining fertility rates, a national issue…thanks to public response, only 45 out of the initially proposed 97 schools were actually suspended, he said.

The State supports reviving schools once enrollment increases, added the Chief Minister. He emphasized that, unlike many other States, Sikkim consistently disburses DA as announced by the Centre and even plans to advance two months’ salary for employees before Dasai.

On the occasion, the Chief Minster was felicitated by the Education department, STA, State/commendation awardee teachers 2024, SPARTA and the association of heads of government secondary & senior secondary schools.

Education minister Raju Basnet congratulated the Chief Minister for being recognised as the best performing Chief Minister on the small States category by the India Today survey. Likewise, he also congratulated the Education department and all involved in the development of related technologies for the 2024 Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS) award received for the initiative of major technology adoption- Education Monitoring and Management Information System (EMMIS).

Basnet informed that the Chief Minister Mentorship programme - launched to support class 10 students in clearing CBSE examinations - led to a significant improvement in the pass percentage, from 67% to approximately 80% in 2025.  The Chief Minister Mentorship scheme would expand to class 9 now, he said.

To help students develop vocational interests early, Sikkim is launching a new Life Skills Education program starting from Class 6, introducing practical training in trades like plumbing, carpentry, and fitting through dedicated workshop spaces in schools. The goal is to nurture skills early that can lead to future professions and capable citizens, informed Basnet.

Minister Basnet highlighted the growth of private universities in Sikkim and criticized opposition parties for mocking this initiative of the State government.

“India's Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education is just 28%, with a national goal of 50% by 2030 under the NEP 2020. To support this, the Chief Minister envisions having at least one university in every constituency, aiming to make Sikkim an education hub,” said Basnet.

Sikkim Teachers Association President Kunzang Sherpa informed that the association has started the membership campaign by creating a digital membership portal and providing facilities for all teachers to join it. He also placed demands of the teachers to the State government including increasing the service limit of the teachers from 58 to 60 years.

The Teacher’s Day celebration included the launch of schools adopted by the Governor, CM SHRI schools, Connect to Mother Earth, CM Disha career counselling programme, life skill education in schools and release of PM e-Vidya videos.