National Education Day Forgotten by VIPs of Nagaland

We are happy to see that his Excellency the Governor of Nagaland Shri PB Acharya greeted the media fraternity on the occasion of National Press Day which falls on November 16th espoused trust that the Occasion will motivate every member to be more responsive, responsible and proactive.

However, the same Governor of the same State did not spare even a single word to greet the community of educationists and educators on the occasion of National Education Day on 11th November 2017. The National Education Day was observed on 11th November 2017 at Modern College Kohima, Nagaland organised by Nagaland Education Association (NEA) attended by over 600 participants with Shri Vipralhou Kesiezie, Member of NPSC, Kohima and retired Director, SCERT, Nagaland.

The celebration of the Day was widely covered by local media. However no VIP in the state including Governor of Nagaland cared to honour the day even though it was a national day.

It may be mentioned here that the National Education Day is declared as an annual observance in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad, freedom fighter and the first Education Minister of Independent India. National Education Day of India is celebrated on 11th November every year. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India has declared on September 11th, 2008 announcing: “The Ministry has decided to commemorate the birth of this great son of India by recalling his contribution to the cause of Education in India. November 11th every year from 2008 onwards will be celebrated as the National Education Day without declaring it a holiday.”

The Governor’s silence on the National Education Day signifies that he does not recognise educationists and educators in the state as a contributing factor for national development and an agent of change. It is universally recognised that “Education is the mother of all professions” and therefore dishonouring the National Education Day is unbecoming for the head of the state.

In our society, Education is loosely used and therefore everyone thinks that Education can be handled by any lay person without consultation of educationists. In this context, the education experts are left alone without being consulted in the process of education policy formulation. No Minister, no Governor, no bureaucrat of Education Department had ever initiated any consultation with educationists in the process of education policy formulation in the state. Education in the State is presently handled by powerful politicians and high bureaucrats without the roles of professional educationists properly recognised unlike any profession like medical or legal or media professionals who are highly regarded in the society. Any Medical graduate or law graduate is highly regarded in the policy formulation. But, no government in Nagaland recognises the professional roles of educationists who have acquired professional degrees in education. Even educationists who have Master degree or PhD in Education cannot say anything in Education Policy formulation. This may be because in our society every educated person is treated as educationists. This is one of the sources of confusion in the midst of professionalism growing in the field of Education.

The present policies like communitisation of Elementary Education Act 2002 giving powers to community to share the state government’s roles and functions in school management needs further review in consultation with educationists. Similarly, Educationists must be taken into confidence while implementing various government policies and programs like RTE Act, SSA, RMSA, RUSA and so, and to frame a clear cut state policy on Education which is the need of the hour.

Dr. Zavise Rume
President
Nagaland Education Association