Shillong, Dec 18: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) president Roy Kupar Synrem on Monday asserted the need to come up with a policy to address the issues concerning the teaching community in the state.

Addressing a function to commemorate the 83rd death anniversary of U Soso Tham, Synrem said Soso Tham was not only a legendary poet laureate but he was also a great teacher.

He urged the state government to come out with social security measures for teachers in Meghalaya in order to enable them to live a dignified life after retirement.

According to him, it is disheartening to learn that there are some teachers who have been serving the state through education for the last 30 years yet some of them have not received their pension.

“Despite dedicating their life for more than 30 years of service in imparting education, yet those teachers are deprived of pension which raises questions about their well-being during retirement” said Synrem.

On the government’s decision to adapt the NCERT textbooks at the school level, the HYC president cautioned against hasty implementation of such a decision without a thorough understanding of potential repercussions on the student community.

Synrem said that the state government should conduct a comprehensive study to evaluate the impact of the NCERT textbooks on students adding that the government should also ensure these textbooks include the history and cultural identity of the local indigenous communities of the state.

“These textbooks should not overlook the history and contributions of Meghalaya’s people hence the state government should conduct a thorough study before deciding on the implementation of NCERT textbooks,” he suggested.

After paying rich floral tribute to the bust of U Soso Tham, the HYC also felicitated winners of different competitions which include short speech and essay competition organized by the Socio Cultural Cell of the Council.