Serious allegations of mismanagement and negligence against the state Education Department have sparked fresh controversy, with parents raising concerns over examination irregularities, syllabus violations, shortage of teachers and delays in the supply of textbooks in government schools across Tripura.
The latest controversy centres on the half-yearly English examination for Class IV students in Vidyajyoti schools, where questions allegedly included topics beyond the prescribed CBSE syllabus. According to parents, 'Letter Writing' was included in the question paper despite not being part of the prescribed syllabus for Class IV English under the CBSE guidelines followed by these schools. The issue has triggered widespread resentment among parents, who have questioned how students can be evaluated fairly when questions are set beyond the prescribed curriculum.
Parents have also raised concerns over a picture-based story-writing question, alleging that the use of black-and-white images made it difficult for young students to understand the context properly. They claim that such shortcomings have unnecessarily affected the performance of students at an early stage of their academic journey.
The parents further alleged that several Vidyajyoti schools are facing a shortage of qualified English teachers, affecting regular classroom teaching. In such circumstances, they argued, introducing questions outside the prescribed syllabus places additional pressure on young students and defeats the purpose of a fair assessment system.
Apart from the controversy surrounding examination papers, complaints have also emerged from several government schools in Khowai district over alleged irregularities in showing evaluated answer scripts. Parents claimed that the prescribed procedures for allowing students and guardians to inspect PT-1 examination answer scripts were not being followed. Although specific dates were reportedly announced for showing the answer scripts, the process was allegedly not implemented as scheduled.
Parents have also highlighted delays in the evaluation of half-yearly examination papers, the non-availability of textbooks on time, irregular attendance of teachers and a lack of proper monitoring by the Education Department.
Another major concern relates to the examination schedule in government schools. According to parents, while government-approved private schools managed to complete their half-yearly examinations within the scheduled period, examinations in government schools were reportedly postponed by nearly a month. This, they said, has disrupted the academic calendar and left students with very little time to prepare for their next examinations. With barely a month's gap between the completion of the half-yearly examinations and the next round of assessments, students are allegedly facing additional academic pressure.
The non-delivery of second-phase textbooks to several schools has further added to the concerns. Parents said that the absence of essential textbooks has created uncertainty over preparations for the PT-2 and annual examinations.
They have also pointed to alleged unauthorised leave taken by teachers, irregular classroom activities and the Education Department's failure to maintain an appropriate teacher-student ratio across schools. According to them, these issues collectively reflect a lack of effective supervision and accountability within the education system.
Expressing concern over the situation, sections of the conscious citizenry have called for stronger intervention by the Education Department to ensure proper teacher deployment, timely distribution of textbooks, regular classroom teaching and strict adherence to prescribed syllabi while preparing examination papers.
Amid growing dissatisfaction, aggrieved parents have sought the direct intervention of the Chief Minister, who also holds the Education portfolio, demanding immediate corrective measures. They maintained that administrative failures and shortcomings in the education system should not come at the cost of young students' academic progress.
The parents have called for comprehensive reforms in the state's education system, along with greater accountability from the concerned authorities, to ensure that students receive quality education in a disciplined and student-friendly environment.
