Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, 26 Aug: It is better late than never. After four decades of dedicated service to the education department, recognition has finally come for Tame Yaku, headmistress of Government Secondary School, G-Sector, Naharlagun, who has been selected as the lone awardee from Arunachal Pradesh for this year's National Teachers' Award (NTA).
For Yaku, however, the award is less a culmination than a recognition of a journey that began on 30 November 1985, when she joined the teaching profession as an Assistant Teacher (Primary Trained Teacher). Her first posting was at LP School, Pachin Village, Naharlagun, where she was the sole teacher and taught all subjects single-handedly.
Her career subsequently took her to some of the state's more challenging and remote areas. In 1990, she served at Government Secondary School, Nyapin, in Kurung Kumey, then part of Lower Subansiri district. In 1995, she served at Government Primary School, Yanman Village, and other schools in Changlang district.
With a master's degree in Rural Development and Sociology, Yaku's approach to teaching has extended well beyond the classroom. Throughout her career, she has placed particular emphasis on girls' education, going door-to-door to persuade villagers, daily-wage workers and economically disadvantaged families to send their daughters to school.
She also worked to promote adult literacy, teaching women and other adults who had never received formal education.
"I am humbled and happy to have received the National Teachers' Award," Yaku told The Arunachal Times.
Her guiding philosophy has remained that education is not merely about transferring knowledge, but about uplifting lives, protecting the vulnerable, preserving cultural identity and nurturing responsible and compassionate citizens.
Since taking charge as headmistress of the G-Sector School, Yaku has focused on strengthening both academic and administrative systems. She significantly improved the quality and consistency of the Mid-Day Meal programme and put in place a more accountable school management system, with clear delegation of responsibilities and systematic monitoring of attendance and academic performance to enable early intervention where required.
Her contribution to education has also extended to cultural identity. In 2013, she conceptualised the practice of students wearing traditional attire to school every Wednesday and Saturday, an initiative aimed at instilling pride in indigenous culture and identity among children from a young age.
Another defining moment came when she led a contingent of 150 students selected to represent Arunachal Pradesh at the Republic Day Parade in New Delhi, where they performed the Rikham Pada dance. The performance became a landmark moment of pride for the participating students, their families and the wider community.
Yaku has also placed considerable emphasis on the emotional wellbeing and safety of students. She introduced separate monthly counselling sessions for boys and girls, in addition to regular one-on-one interactions with students.
Her commitment to child protection has at times taken her beyond the conventional role of a teacher. She has intervened in cases involving the safety of children, including rescuing children from molestation and directly intervening to save a girl child from an alleged molestation attempt by her own uncle.
In another instance, she counselled a family whose child was struggling with drug addiction and helped arrange the child's admission to a rehabilitation centre.
Yaku has also worked to bring parents and the wider community into the school's functioning. She helped establish a responsible and effective School Management Committee comprising parents, encouraging their participation in decision-making, monitoring and the welfare of students. Parents were also involved in social audits, including those concerning the Mid-Day Meal programme.
