Lambada teachers stare at uncertainty

The Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams, which concluded on Wednesday, were significant for the display of anxiety and desperation by teachers working in schools in tribal areas affected by the Adivasi-Lambada differences.

It was quite evident that they aided and abetted malpractice in order to ‘perform’ well in the exams and save their own skin.

It was Class X students in Adilabad and Kumram Bheem Asifabad districts, a majority of them belonging to aboriginal tribes, who suffered the most due to the ‘boycott’ of Lambada teachers in schools run by Tribal Welfare department since November last year.

“Though the administration in both districts took pains to organise special camps for the students, it was marked by a lack of continuity in teaching which nullified any desired effect in doing so,” observed the headmaster of a tribal school in Adilabad town.

“For the next academic year, we intend to rationalise the posting of Lambada contract residential teachers (CRT). A proposal has been sent to the government for approval,” said KB Asifabad Collector Prashant J. Patil.

It may be stated here that the protesting Adivasis had alleged discrimination and malpractice in recruitment of about 40 CRTs in the district.

The Tribal Development department official, who was accused of that, has, so far, escaped transfer; others had been transferred out at the peak of the anti-Lambada movement.

“We will not allow any Lambada teacher in ashram schools in the next academic year unless the official is punished for wilful discrimination shown to our youths,” vowed a leader of an Adivasi organisation.

“The government should come up with some solution to the crisis,” demanded an angry Lambada teacher, who was sent out of his school by the protesters and now marks his attendance at the KB Asifabad District Tribal Development Office instead of teaching.

Some 40 schools in KB Asifabad and over 50 in Adilabad were initially affected by the anti-Lambada protests. The number of teachers, who were not allowed into schools, including regular teachers and CRTs, was 72 in the former and 388 in the latter.

Owing to efforts of the administration of both districts, about 25 regular teachers were allowed to attend to their duties in KB Asifabad schools while in Adilabad, the services of all affected teachers was adjusted in other schools or departments, leaving only 20 schools as affected units.