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R Amongla Jamir with teachers and others during the inauguration of the new building of a high school at Burma Camp in Dimapur.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, April 27: A government officer in Dimapur has illustrated the disconnect between teachers and students—by extension, between education and teaching—with a real life incident involving a student who was penalised by a teacher for not taking notes. The incident involved a medical problem that the student had but one which the teacher had no inkling about.
The District Education Officer (DEO) R Amongla Jamir gave the anecdote during her address to a formal ceremony marking the inauguration of a new building for a Government High School at Burma Camp in Dimapur, on April 27.
Addressing the gathering during the formal event, Jamir asked the teachers to ‘understand the problems of the students’ and to devise solutions to address them.
Speaking from her experience she narrated to the gathering an incident about a student whom she came across during one of her inspections. The student was standing outside as a punishment for not taking notes. On inquiring about the pupil’s problem she found out that the student had poor eyesight for which the pupil could not read the board.
Referring to the story, Jamir was of the opinion that students might drift from teachers if their problems are taken in a negative way. It is the duty of every teacher to identify students’ problems and to address them accordingly, she added.
DEO Jamir encouraged them to ‘perform better along with the new school building construction.’ She assured that ‘facilities will automatically come with improved performance.’ She reminded that achieving quality education would go a long way in shaping the lives of the students.
To the teachers, Jamir urged that they ‘go the extra mile’ in guiding students. She asked them to be humble, being ‘ambassadors of everything’ and setting a good example for the public, she added.
The DEO hoped for ‘mutual understanding, and unity’ among the teachers, community leaders, students, and all stakeholders in concern. She urged them to contribute equally and to take care of the school’s property as theirs. Speaking about the new building she said that 20 schools have been completed as part of the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan scheme in Dimapur.
The headmistress of the high school Limayangla Tzudir said that the new building was a ‘dream come true’ as the institution had been facing shortage of classrooms. She added that the ‘building alone cannot constitute an education system; it is a human religion which will bring change to the school.’
A teacher of the school, Semaho Yeptho, gave an overview about the school’s history: the school was started at the New Market area initially by two brothers from Uttar Pradesh. The school was then recognised by the government in 1968. It was in 2012 that the school was elevated to a high school.
Further, he said that the number of students enrolment was high if not for the lack of classroom space.