Representatives of the Teacher-in-Charge Cell in the Hills on Monday submitted a memorandum to the chairman of the Board of Administrators of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), Binoy Tamang, demanding that they be made fullfledged head teachers of the different schools they are presently working in. “There are 129 government- aided High and Higher Secondary schools, out of which, 86 schools are run by Teachers-in-charge, who have to shoulder a heavy burden.

They are being treated as capable of bearing such load as they fulfill the eligibility criteria of head teachers, but the government seems to be neglecting the case of making them full-fledged headmasters or headmistresses since the year 1998,” Rek Mani Pradhan, the chief coordinator of the Cell, said here on Monday. “We met the GTA board chairman with this one single agenda on Monday, and he assured us that he will take up this matter with the state government,” Mr Pradhan added.

According to him, the main reason for this issue to come up now was that the School Service Commission has not been implemented in the Hills since the year 1997, and that there would be more cases in the coming days if more head teachers of such schools retire. “It is sad that this matter remains unsolved till on Monday. Nevertheless, they are producing good results in the Madhyamik and Higher Secondary exams and taking part in different activities, which is the prestige and pride of the Hills. The GTA board has been saying that they want to focus on education here, and we welcome that decision, and we believe that our grievances will also be addressed,” Mr Pradhan says in the memorandum they served to Mr Tamang.

The memorandum also says there were many unemployed youths in the Hills and “if the assistant teachers presently working as teachers-in-charge are promoted as Head teachers, the posts of these teachers would also be vacant and new teachers could be appointed.” According to members of the Cell (under the GTA Headmasters’ Association), the fresh moves to press for the demand began on 4 January when they met the vice-chairman of the GTA board, Anit Thapa, in Delo in Kalimpong.

They also met Darjeeling MLA Amar Singh Rai on 18 January, while the representatives again reminded Mr Thapa of the issue when they met him at Sukna near Siliguri on the sidelines of a GJMM public rally on 21 January. “Everyone we met so far is positive about our issue, and we are very much hopeful that our request will be heard soon,” Mr Pradhan said.