With as many as ten thousand teachers in the country today, teaching employs almost one-third of the civil servants in the country. However, teacher shortage has been a long-standing problem in the education sector. Each year, the education ministry recruits hundreds of new teachers to address the shortage. Most of these new teachers usually get posted in remote schools. In Bumthang, Cheten Zangpo, one among them is beginning his teaching career at Tandingang, which has a small school of just 12 students.
25-year-old Cheten and three other colleagues are recently posted at Bumthang. As usual, the Dzongkhag administration holds the ceremonial oath-taking ritual at the Jakar Dzong.
“If you do not quit too soon, you will be a teacher for a very long time. And values are very important. Children learn what they live and you have to live that life, so your children will have something to look up to,” said Kesang Choden Dorji, Bumthang Dzongda.
With a few words of inspiration from the Dzongda, Cheten and his friends are all set to leave for their schools and begin their lives as teachers.
Tandigang Extended Class Room (ECR) is located in Tang Gewog. Although not as remote as Bebji ECR in Haa or Lunana Primary School in Gasa, the ECR is one of the furthest schools in Bumthang from the Dzongkhag centre.
Days after the oath-taking ceremony, Cheten has reached his school. He is greeted by his new family, ten students of class PP and one put together in one classroom. And in another room, there are only two students. They are in classes two and three.
“When I first reached here, I was a bit apprehensive as I am a new teacher and my first posting is in a remote ECR. However, the community and the parents here have been so supportive and now I have settled here very well. With regards to teaching, students are put together and taught multi-grade lessons. This was a bit challenging as I am not trained in multi-grade teaching. However, our ECR here is an extension of Tang Central School, so I seek help from senior teachers there,” said Cheten.
The ECR remained closed until recently. The villagers requested the government to reopen it as its parent school, Tang Central School is quite far from the village. Today, Cheten and a senior teacher run the school.
“Though the place is quite remote, what inspires me as a teacher to keep going is when I see these innocent faces being responsive to my teaching and learning something new every day. I feel that when young people like us serve in remote schools like this, it would help in easing the teacher shortage problem,” added Cheten.
New hands like Cheten, serving small communities and educating a dozen or so students will improve access to education in rural pockets of the country and will gradually but surely help address the teacher shortage in the country.
Kipchu, Bumthang
