The BGPM-ruled Gorkhaland Territorial Administration has decided to stall elections to school managing committees purportedly to stem “competition”, which the Opposition claimed was a bid by the ruling party to disrupt democratic processes.
The GTA’s education department on Friday in an order stated that the “competent authority... has decided that the process of the elections for formation of the managing committee in government-aided schools will be on hold in GTA areas until further orders”.
Each government-aided school has a managing committee that manages its affairs.
There are more than 150 high and higher secondary schools in the region.
In a run-up to Teachers’ Day, the subsidiary training centre of the Border Security Force (BSF) of Baikunthapur, located in Salugara on the outskirts of Siliguri, organised a number of programmes in four schools on Friday. Among these events include screening of a documentary film on the BSF, a briefing on the recruitment process and the evils of drug abuse, followed by a plantation drive and an exhibition of the 1971 war that led to the liberation of Bangladesh. The BSF team presented mementos to school principals and also distributed sports items among students at Ektiasal Junior School, Salugara, Shiumangal Memorial School and Khopalashi Hindi High School at Khaprail Bazar The Telegraph Picture
Each committee has no less than 12 members. “Six members are representatives of guardians, three represent teachers, there is a representative of a non-teaching staff, one of the district inspector of schools. The headmaster is the committee secretary,” said a source.
Elections to choose the six guardian representatives and sometimes even teacher and non-teaching staff representatives used to be held. The GTA has stalled these elections.
Sanchabir Subba, deputy chief, GTA, also the executive GTA member in charge of education, provided two reasons behind the notification.
“We want to come up with a new policy and this is why we are keeping elections on hold but only for a few days,” said Subba, who, however, did not spell out the “new policy”.
The other reason cited by Subba was “too much competition”. “There is too much of horbaji (Nepali for competition) for managing committees. We want to stop this horbaji, too,” said Subba.
Asked if the GTA can supersede rules and regulations laid down by the Bengal government, Subba, said the hill body can. “Education is a transferred (to the GTA) subject,” he Subba.
The Opposition has reacted sharply to this.
Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, in a written statement said: “After side-lining hundreds of qualified, deserving candidates they appointed unqualified teachers illegally. Now they are preventing elections to all School Managing Committees…. This order is illegal and will be challenged.”
Bikramaadi Bangdel Rai, the organising secretary of Hamro Party, said stalling the polls was an attempt to disrupt democratic processes in the hills.
“Our party was faring well in managing committee elections and there were signs that we would fare well in further school elections. This could be one of the reasons why the elections are being stalled,” said Rai, who questioned the authority of the GTA to issue such notifications.
The Hamro Party leader also claimed that the BGPM might be trying to ensure that the managing committee was under its control.