The recent exposé on alleged ‘backdoor appointment’ in the Technical Education Department by the Raising People’s Party, has once again revealed the ugly reality of unabated power abuse by our elected leaders in the state. It is an open secret that appointments in various departments are carried out through improper means and only those with political connections are favoured to be bestowed with the much sought-after government jobs.
The selection of candidates in any department, based on anything else other than merit, through the conduct of fair interview process, is dangerous; it is especially so for the education department, be it primary, secondary or higher and technical education. By appointing anybody other than the most suitable one for the job, we are toying with the future prospects of our young minds. The teaching profession is often called the profession that teaches every other profession, and rightly so. By appointing the wrong person to teach our students, we are depriving them of the opportunity to learn and grow expansively, that can only come through effective teaching from a passionate and meritorious teacher.
There is much hue and cry over the quality of education in our state. Clearly, we are far behind other states and it takes immense talent and hard work, on the part of our students, to compete and be at par with their students. Quality education can only come through committed teaching coupled with effectual administrative and policy making aspects. Teachers and the teaching methods and techniques they employ in the classroom fundamentally impact students and what they learn, which in turn have snowballing effects on the overall success and quality of life of the individual students.
While it is basic common sense that appointing the right person for the right job would yield the best possible results, people in power and with authority often gamble with the lives of the citizens, students in this scenario, for their vested interests. We cannot undermine their intellect by saying that maybe they can’t comprehend the inexplicable damage such practise does to the progression of a society; they do know that what they are doing is wrong on so many levels. Why then would any sane leader, elected to represent the people, indulge in such degenerate actions that would erode the very society they belong to?
Besides, depriving the rightful candidates of deserving jobs, and even the basic right of being able to compete fair and square, leaves our educated youth agitated and frustrated, which affects their mental wellbeing, which in turn has far reaching consequences on the mental health of the society as a whole. Another inverse effect of the practice of ‘backdoor appointment’ is the huge brain drain that occurs, as a result of unfavourable employment avenues in the state, that forces bright minds to seek jobs outside the state.