Srinagar, Aug 25 (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said the responsibility of shaping the future of children cannot be placed solely on teachers and called for joint efforts by the government, parents and educators to prepare students for a rapidly changing world.
Addressing a one-day education conference organised by the J&K Teachers Forum at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here, Abdullah said teachers play a crucial role in determining the future of children but putting the entire responsibility on them would be unfair and add to the pressures of an already demanding profession.
The conference, themed “Child is Our Priority”, brought together teachers, educators, researchers and policymakers to discuss challenges facing the education sector and the way forward.
Abdullah said the nature of the teaching profession has changed significantly over the past decade, with teachers now competing for students’ attention with smartphones, social media, television and artificial intelligence.
He also acknowledged that teachers are often burdened with responsibilities beyond classroom teaching, including duties related to national events, cultural programmes, awareness campaigns and elections.
The chief minister assured teachers that the government would address their genuine service-related concerns, including transfers, departmental promotion committees, vacancies and other issues.
“If you have problems with transfers, if you have problems with DPCs, if you have problems with vacancies, if you have problems with other things, then we have to solve those problems,” he said, adding that he and Education Minister Sakina Itoo would work together to resolve their concerns.
Abdullah also highlighted the difficulties faced by teachers posted in remote and rural areas and said disparities in teacher deployment needed to be addressed.
“There are gaps in the infrastructure. We talk about smart classes, but how far have we been able to take them?” he said, pointing to schools functioning from rented accommodation and unsafe buildings.
The chief minister said providing adequate infrastructure and filling vacancies were the government’s responsibility, while its role was also to create an environment in which teachers could perform their duties effectively.
“Strengthening your hands so that you can do your work properly is the responsibility of me and my colleagues,” he said.
Abdullah urged teachers to help children identify their aspirations and prepare them to make a positive contribution to Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the pace of global change was accelerating and the education system needed to prepare children for a very different future.
“We have progressed a lot from 1947 to today. But the world is changing very fast. The changes that took 30, 40 or 50 years will happen very fast in the next 20 or 30 years. We have to prepare our kids for that,” he said.
Referring to the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), Abdullah said the government had repeatedly raised the issue and would continue to pursue it while keeping the interests of students in mind.
“We will try to address it but with the hope that we will improve the education of J&K students,” he said.
The chief minister also told teachers that the government would not leave them to shoulder the responsibility of transforming education on their own.
“Don’t think that we have given you all the responsibility, that you do it and we leave. That won’t happen,” he said.
Education Minister Sakina Itoo and Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani also addressed the conference and highlighted the role of teachers in society and various initiatives undertaken by the government.
They also referred to the reversal of the winter session in Kashmir Valley and winter zones of the Jammu division.
MLAs Dr Shafi Ahmed Wani and Saifuddin Bhat, Director School Education Kashmir Naseer Ahmed Wani, chief education officers, J&K Teachers Forum chairman Mohd Shafi Rather, office-bearers of the forum and a large number of teachers attended the conference.(NVI)
