When Kairon’s 10-mile order was revoked

KL Noatay

THERE is lot of hullabaloo over the irrational distribution of teachers in government schools of Punjab. While some schools at ‘attractive’ stations have too many teachers for too few students, some schools at unpopular stations have too many students but no teacher. For instance, Government Middle School, Kothe Malana, Bathinda, the ancestral village of a bigwig in the state’s governance, has  three teachers for only one class VIII student. In contrast, Government Primary School Wasawa Singh Wali, Amritsar, has 226 students, but no teacher. The oddity in present-day student-teacher ratio in government schools impels one to recall a queer, but interesting incident about posting teachers in East Punjab during the early 1950s. 

The legendary Partap Singh Kairon, who went on to become the Chief Minister of Punjab, was the Education Minister in the Gopi Chand Bhargava government. To ensure that teachers devoted themselves wholeheartedly to teaching and were not preoccupied with personal domestic chores, he had ordered the Director of Education not to post any teacher within a radius of 10 miles of the teacher’s native village. That was the era when politicians did not meddle in transfers of individual employees. That competency was vested in the departmental district heads.

In compliance of the directive of the Education Minister, a lot of teachers were shifted this way and that, making  life miserable for many. 

Kairon used to visit places, especially rural landscape, in disguise to see whether teachers were teaching well. One morning, attired as a typical villager, Kairon headed towards a particular school for random check. To camouflage the real purpose of the visit, he took a young boy along for admission as a test case. Having reached the school, the two sat awaiting the arrival of the teacher concerned. As the bell struck 10, a breathless lady teacher rushed in. Kairon stood up, wished the teacher and said, ‘Bibi eh munda daakhal karauna ein’ (Madam, this boy needs admission). The teacher, without making eye contact, blurted out: ‘Baba baehja. Prarthana taan karwa lein de. Beda gharaq hoavay Kairon da jinenh 10 mile da quanoon banaya (Wait, have some patience. Let me conduct the school prayer. Cursed be Kairon for his 10-mile rule)! Kairon got the boy admitted and came out of the school incognito, without uttering a word.

Back, Kairon pondered over what the teacher had said. He discussed it with the Secretary Education, and also the Chief Minister.  A consensus was reached to roll back the 10-mile directive. 

The present-day government in Punjab should take remedial measures to check the uneven distribution of teachers in schools, for the welfare of the teachers as well as students.