Majid Marouphay
“Reform must strengthen education, not humiliate those who built it. Accountability is necessary, but fairness is indispensable. A system that forgets the service of its teachers risks weakening the very foundation it seeks to improve.”
A single order, followed by a hurried withdrawal, has plunged the teaching community into confusion and fear at the very moment a new academic session is about to begin. Amid administrative flip-flops and public speculation, decades of dedicated service by teachers are being reduced to doubt and derision. One day, an official communication from the Commissioner Secretary to the Government of Jammu & Kashmir directs the Jammu and Kashmir Board of School Education (JKBOSE) to operationalize the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) immediately. The order speaks of urgency -development of a detailed schedule, coordination with NIC, School Education Department, Higher Education Department and even the Home Department for logistical and security arrangements. It mandates alignment with the guidelines of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), online forms integrated with the BOSE website, district-level exam centres in Srinagar and Jammu and invigilation by lecturers and assistant professors of ‘known integrity’.
It reads like a full-fledged administrative blueprint. And then, within twenty-four hours, the Education Minister Sakina Itoo clarifies that no TET will be conducted ‘for the time being’, that the government is observing how other states are handling the matter and that the earlier order has no authenticity. Soon after, another communication surfaces: the previous order is kept in abeyance.
Between these statements lies a storm of confusion. And at the centre of that storm stands the teacher. This confusion has erupted precisely when the teaching community is preparing to resume academic work after long winter vacations. Instead of focusing on lesson plans, admissions and academic upliftment, teachers find themselves battling anxiety and uncertainty. Is this mere administrative miscommunication – or a calculated move that has sown panic among thousands? The teaching community was taken aback. What began as a normal lead-up to the new academic session suddenly turned into shock. Within hours anger, unrest and deep frustration began brewing among teachers who felt blindsided and unsettled by the abrupt developments.
But beyond the politics of orders and counter-orders lies a deeper human story. Imagine a teacher who has served for two decades or more. A Nation Builder who devoted the prime of his youth to the academic upliftment of marginalized and weaker sections. He walked through snow-laden paths, crossed rivers without bridges, climbed inaccessible terrain to reach far-off habitations where education was a distant dream. He accepted delayed salaries, worked in under-resourced schools and still showed up every morning with commitment and professionalism.
Today, he is in his late forties or early fifties. He may be battling diabetes, hypertension or chronic joint pain – the silent companions of a life spent in service. He is not just a teacher now. He is a father planning the marriage of his grown-up children. In some cases, even a grandfather. He supports aged parents who depend on him emotionally and financially. In his locality, he commands respect. He may serve as an Imam in a mosque, be entrusted with the management of Auqaf or lead community committees, largely because he is a teacher – a symbol of learning and integrity. And suddenly, he is told: ‘Appear for TET. Or face consequences’.
What if he fails? Will society understand the complexities behind a single examination result? Or will it reduce decades of service to one scorecard? How will he face his students, his children, his neighbours? What stigma will attach to a 50-plus teacher declared ‘ineligible’ overnight? Already, social media is flooded with sarcasm. Mockery has become entertainment. ‘Now teachers will have to sit in exams,’ people joke. Some take visible, almost sadistic pleasure in the spectacle. Decades of nation-building are reduced to memes and humiliating commentary.
Is this how a society treats its educators? Instead of rushing toward abrupt implementation, should not the government have approached the Supreme Court of India with a review petition? Should it not have presented the ground realities – the long-serving teachers, the humanitarian implications, the practical challenges? We hold the Supreme Court of India in the highest esteem and fully respect its constitutional authority. Any directive aimed at reforming and strengthening academics is undoubtedly well-intentioned and welcome. However, there already exists a structured mechanism of professional trainings and capacity-building programs conducted by competent authorities to continuously improve teachers’ skills and teaching methodologies, which must also be duly considered.
In most cases, a teacher is not merely an employee of the Education Department. He or she is the lone breadwinner of a large household. An entire family’s survival rests upon that single monthly salary. School-going children, aged parents, sometimes an unemployed sibling – all look toward that one source of income. Many have taken housing loans, education loans for their children or personal loans to meet medical expenses. Some stand as guarantors for relatives, a responsibility taken in good faith and social trust. Now imagine the trauma if, at this stage of life, failure to clear the TET places termination at their doorstep. Overnight, financial stability collapses, bank notices replace salary slips. EMI deadlines turn into sleepless nights. The dignity of a lifetime of service stands threatened by uncertainty. It is not merely an examination result at stake, it is the emotional, financial and psychological stability of an entire household. The thought alone is nightmarish.
The tragedy is that teachers today feel abandoned. No clear roadmap. No legal shield, no assurance, just uncertainty. Teachers are the backbone of society. They shape generations quietly, without applause. If their dignity is shaken, the very foundation of our education system trembles. There is no question of opposing reform, especially when it flows from the directives of the Apex Court. The teaching community understands the importance of standards, accountability and legal compliance. However, reform must walk hand in hand with fairness. Seeking a review, clarification or protective safeguards for long-serving teachers is not defiance, it is a plea for balance. The issue is not about resisting evaluation, but about ensuring that the dignity, experience and lifelong service of educators are not brushed aside in the process of implementing change.
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