“Suppose there are 20 children in a class; the outcome of their learning by the end of the year rests entirely with me, Dipak Barman. This is the kind of accountability we want to establish,” the minister explained. “We will ask the teacher: why should you receive a salary increment next year?”
Accountability is necessary, but linking pay increases to student outcomes risks creating an unfair system. Children do not begin school with equal advantages. Many are first-generation learners who need additional support at home and school. Poverty, attendance, inadequate facilities and learning difficulties can affect progress, regardless of a teacher’s commitment.
Penalising teachers for every disappointing result would be neither fair nor effective.
Dhrubashekhar Mondal, general-secretary of the Nikhil Banga Primary Teachers’ Association, warned that “entrusting a single teacher with multiple grades would hinder overall progress”. He also stressed that teachers cannot be held solely responsible for children’s development and called for improvements to the curriculum and supplementary learning materials.
Chandan Gorai of the All Post-Graduate Teachers’ Welfare Association said the proposal was positive in principle, but the government must first “ensure the appointment of six teachers in every primary school”.
Kinkar Adhikari of Shikshanuragi Oikya Mancha similarly demanded grade-specific teachers and adequate Group C and D staff.
The government claims that recruiting at least 13,000 additional primary teachers will improve the teacher-pupil ratio from one teacher for every 26 pupils to one for every 20.
Yet better staffing, suitable classrooms, learning resources and professional support must come before punitive performance targets.
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