Secondary school teachers’ strike just before year-end exams alarming
There is rarely a convenient time for a strike, but the timing of the latest strike by secondary school teachers comes across as particularly surprising. As the annual school examination season begins—a period of high anxiety for students and parents alike—a set of educators have abandoned their duty in an attempt to force the government to meet their demands. We find this move totally irresponsible.
The timing could not be worse. According to the government's schedule, annual exams were set to run from November to December, followed swiftly by selection tests and junior scholarship exams wrapping up on New Year's Eve. This is the crunch time of the academic calendar. Yet, instead of quiet concentration in exam halls, students are having to face administrative anarchy.
The Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education attempted to regain control with stiff directives, warning that any "negligence" in conducting the exams would trigger punitive action. But teachers, organised under various associations, have chosen to ignore these orders. The result is chaos across the country: while some schools held exams, many institutions have suspended tests, according to our reporters. As the coordinator of the movement has said, the boycott is well underway, rendering the government's late-night circulars largely ineffective.
The teachers' grievances are numerous and significant, and we urge the government to review and address them properly. Their demands include the upgrading of entry-level assistant teacher posts, the creation of a separate Directorate of Secondary Education, and the reinstatement of benefits withdrawn as far back as 2015. It is possible that these demands have merit. But to hold the future of children hostage in their push for pay and perks is a totally unethical tactic.
Education is not a factory line where work abstention merely delays a shipment; it is a time-sensitive endeavour in which disruption can derail academic progression and inflict psychological stress on students. The teachers' coordinator has argued that the government's circulars are an attempt to suppress their movement. He may be right about the government's steps, but he is wrong to assume that this gives his colleagues the moral licence to jeopardise the academic year.
The teachers must respect their primary responsibility to students. They claim they will only return if the education ministry sits down with protest leaders. This is the language of blackmail, plain and simple. The teachers may believe they are teaching the government a lesson in power dynamics. In reality, they are sending the wrong message. They should return to classrooms and exam halls immediately for the sake of the students. The government, meanwhile, must expedite efforts to resolve the issues at the root of this crisis.
