Educationists flag ‘dangerous trend’ of involving students in transfer protests

PANAJI
The student protests that swept several government higher secondary schools in the State over the sudden transfer and promotion of teachers may have been driven by genuine fears about academic disruption, but educationists have questioned the manner in which students were drawn into what they describe as a teachers’ service-related dispute.
Students at government higher secondary schools in Valpoi, Sanguem, Pernem and Borda in Margao boycotted classes to oppose the reassignment of teachers with whom they had been preparing for examinations. With crucial tests and board examinations approaching, students and parents feared that replacing familiar teachers midway through the academic term could unsettle their preparation and create unnecessary anxiety.
While educationists broadly agreed that the timing of the transfers was problematic, some strongly criticised the decision to mobilise students for the protests. They argued that teachers, if aggrieved by transfers or promotions, should have raised the issue themselves instead of bringing students into a dispute concerning service conditions.
Former Director of Education Anil Pawar said the protests appeared to have been instigated by teachers, with possible political support, even though he did not justify the decision to transfer long-serving teachers during the academic year.
“It was very clear that the protest was instigated by the teachers or political forces, who are blessings for these teachers. I am not justifying the mid-term transfer of long-serving teachers, but I am against using students or youths for one’s personal gain. This protest seems to have been completely pushed for by the teachers with support from parents,” Pawar said.
He said there appeared to be a growing tendency to use students and young people as a means of putting pressure on the government.
“Following the Cockroach Janata Party protest, now everyone feels that students or youths are the best weapon to use for their gains. Today you go and ask that student why they were protesting. They may not even react to that,” he said.
‘Teachers should have protested’
Former Director of Higher Education Bhaskar Nayak said the episode had two distinct dimensions -- a legitimate grievance over the timing of teacher transfers and the questionable involvement of students in the agitation.
“While I totally agree that it was a complete system failure to promote or transfer the teacher during the middle of the academic term, I don’t agree with student protest. Students should not have been involved. Teachers would have protested on their own,” Nayak said.
The controversy highlights a larger administrative dilemma facing the education department. While teacher deployment, vacancies, promotions and transfers are part of routine administration, the timing of such decisions becomes critical when they directly affect students in the middle of an academic year.
According to Nayak, the education department’s failure to conduct promotions and transfers in time had created the circumstances for the present controversy. However, he said that using students to draw the government’s attention was a dangerous trend.
“To attract government attention, students were put forth by the teachers. This is a very dangerous trend and needs to be stopped at this very point. Don’t drag students into your fight. Teachers should have fought on their own,” he said.
Nayak also blamed the department for failing to anticipate vacancies and complete promotions and transfers in a regular, time-bound manner. He said the system should ensure that vacancies are filled without removing teachers handling ongoing classes at a critical stage of the academic year.
Academic continuity at stake
The concerns over academic continuity, however, were strongly supported by retired professor Caridad Fernandes, who said transferring teachers during an ongoing semester was highly undesirable and difficult to justify.
“Students are required to adjust to a new teacher and a different teaching methodology, while the incoming teacher must familiarise themselves with the new syllabus, students, academic requirements and institutional environment. This transition can disrupt the learning process and create unnecessary uncertainty among students,” Fernandes said.
She said teacher transfers should, as far as possible, be avoided during an ongoing semester and instead be undertaken at the beginning or end of an academic session.
Such a practice, she said, would help preserve continuity in teaching and protect students, particularly those preparing for important examinations.
A retired senior government education official also said the students’ method of protest may not have been appropriate, but maintained that the underlying grievance could not be dismissed.
“The department is aware of vacancies and hence is duty-bound to ensure that promotions and transfers take place in a time-bound manner. Though boycott of classes by students was not the right way, their demands were genuine,” the former official said.
Better manpower planning needed
Educationists said the solution lies in better manpower planning rather than allowing administrative decisions to spill over into classrooms. At the same time, they cautioned that students should not become instruments in disputes between teachers, the department and political groups.
The protests may have succeeded in drawing attention to the disruption caused by mid-term teacher changes. But educationists warned that allowing students to become the face of service-related agitations could establish a precedent in which academic institutions become the battleground for wider administrative or political conflicts.