Tinsukia: Provincialised tutors across Assam have expressed sharp resentment over a recent remark by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who described the transition from tutor to teacher as a “routine process” and stated that only candidates possessing B.Ed and TET qualifications would be eligible for appointment as teachers.
Terming the observation unsettling, the tutors have sought concrete and time-bound institutional measures to enable them to acquire the required qualifications.
In a joint press statement, Pradip Kumar Moran of Tinsukia, Chaitra Gogoi of Dibrugarh, and Atul Bora of Golaghat said the Chief Minister’s comment had triggered anxiety among tutors who have served in provincialised educational institutions for the past 30 to 35 years, many of them initially without remuneration.
They pointed out that a large number of educators who had long been serving in provincialised institutions were formally designated as “Tutors” in 2021 and continue to work on modest pay. Their original appointments, they said, were made decades ago by school managing committees and governing bodies in accordance with the rules then in force and were duly recognised by the Education Department.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s observation that prevailing norms — including the Right to Education Act, 2009, the University Grants Commission Act, 1956, and other centrally mandated eligibility criteria, are now compulsory, the tutors argued that these provisions were not in effect at the time of their appointments, many of which predated 2009.
They further stated that the existing provincialisation law had provided a five-year window from the date of provincialisation for tutors to obtain the requisite qualifications. The government’s white paper had also assured adequate opportunities for upgradation. However, while the deadline was subsequently extended, the promised institutional support and facilities were not put in place, they alleged. The Assam Assembly has recently proposed extending the timeframe to seven years.
Recalling a high-level meeting held on July 17, 2022, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, the tutors said discussions were initiated to facilitate in-service teachers in obtaining the necessary qualifications through open and distance learning. The proposed mechanism envisaged coordination among the Assam State Institute of Education Research and Training (SIERT), the Secondary Education Department, and Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University, in line with NCERT norms. They alleged that even after four years, the proposal has not been implemented on the ground.
Describing their predicament as akin to a “demonetisation-like shock,” the tutors said years of unpaid service and the continued downgraded designation have eroded the professional dignity they once enjoyed as teachers. While welcoming reports that the Chief Minister is considering a wage revision for provincialised tutors amid rising prices, they noted that under the present framework, annual increments are capped at six per cent.
The tutors have urged the government to operationalise an effective mechanism for qualification upgradation without further delay and to ensure that long-serving educators are provided clarity, recognition and a dignified pathway for career progression.