People's Democracy

Teachers’ Accountability To Education Must Increase Further

B Prasant

STATE secretary of the Bengal unit of the CPI(M) Biman Basu declared that there was need for the members of the teaching community at all levels of functioning to increase further their accountability to education as such. They must teach even better than they do now and recall the tradition of education that Bengal possesses.

Biman Basu was addressing a convention in Kolkata that commemorated the birth centenary of Comrade Satyapriya Roy a legendary educationist and a communist leader.

The present generation of students and teachers must make themselves aware of the streams of democratic movements of the teachers of the state, said Biman Basu who added to point out that it was through these movements and long-drawn struggles that the teachers could earn their dignity and democratic rights.

EDUCATIONAL PIONEER

Comrade Satyapriya Roy was one of the pioneers of the spread of modern education in post-independent India. He was an educationist, a skilled organiser of the teachers’ movement, communist, and humanist. He had a laudable contribution to make through placing the teachers’ movement on a solid and principled pedestal, inculcating values amongst teachers, and then widening the base of the movement through democratic struggle for just rights.

He led the teachers’ struggles on issues like modernising the syllabi and curricula, restoring the dignity of the teachers, securing their jobs, and winning fir them living wages in the least. The teaching community now would not even remotely realise the very tough situation their predecessors had had to face in the earlier days of the 1950s and the 1960s. The teachers, Biman Basu said, drew a salary that was less than those drawn by the educational employees. The average monthly salary – a pittance indeed – was Rs 60-70 for a fully qualified and hard-working teacher.

Later, recalled Biman Basu, the Bengal Left Front government on assumption of office in 1977 recognised the demands that drove the teachers’ movement, enhanced their salary, and increased the dignity of the members of the teaching community. The changes were not confined to the realm of finances alone. The education system was democratised. The democratic rights of the teachers were given full recognition as well. The changes that were wrought over the years through a stream of struggles must be communicated to the teachers and students of the present generation, said Biman Basu.

DEDICATED TEACHER

Reminiscing, Biman Basu said that Comrade Satyapriya Roy was a meritorious student and that he did very well from the school to the university level. He had a good law degree under his belt but he would not join the legal profession. He passed with excellent marks the police service commission examination but did not join the force. Comrade Roy also refused to join a teaching post in reputed college after being invited to do so. He chose to remain a school teacher throughout his life.

He was made a minister for the short-stay second United Front government. He played a memorable role as a member of the Kothari education commission. Biman Basu recalling the brutality of the Congress raj described a photo that was published widely in newspapers of the day that showed Comrade Satyapriya Roy being grabbed by his shirt front and being thrown into a prison van. Biman Basu said that the next day he and several other school children organised an impromptu protest rally in front of the school that they read in.

The convention was addressed by several other noted educationists of Bengal. They were Kanti Biswas, Pabitra Sarkar, Bhabesh Moitra, Shibaprasad Mukhopadhyay, Amitava Sen, Jyotirmoy Mukherjee, and Amal Kanti Sarkar.

PDA SWEEPS THE WB SECONDARY COUNCIL ELECTION

ALL Bengal Teachers’ Association (ABTA), WB Secondary Teachers’ Federation (WBSTF), Bangiya Shishshak and Shkishakarmi Samity (BTEA), and Sara Bangla Sikshak-O-Sihkhsha Karmi Samity (SBSSS) formed a Progressive Democratic Alliance and swept all the seats in the recently held election to the Bengal Board of Secondary Education.

The alliance led a strong election campaign. It appealed to the voters to thwart the anti-education and anti-development stance of the forces of reaction and of left sectarianism. It also spoke in strong terms about continuing to protect and enhance the service conditions as well the democratic rights of the school teachers and the school educational employees.

The alliance also called for a struggle against the anti-people policies of the UPA government. The subsequent sweeping victory has been described by the ABTA general secretary Siba Prasad Mukhopadhyay as the victory of the unity of the Left and democratic forces and a triumph for the democratic-minded teachers and educational employees of Bengal.