Govt to expedite process: Bukhari
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Nov 25: Notwith-standing the claims of Education Department of taking various decisions for the welfare of teaching community and to refurbish its image, hundreds of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers in the State are running from pillar to post for their regularization and release of salaries for years together.
Though hundreds of teachers’ posts are lying vacant throughout the State and schools face the dearth of teaching staff from Primary to Higher Secondary level, unnecessary hurdles are being created in the regularization of ReT teachers while their cases are pending in the Directorate of Education or Chief Education Officers for a long time for recommendation or onwards submission to higher offices for issuance of regularization orders.
According to sources, the teachers who were appointed as Education Volunteers (EVs) way back in 2004, 2005 and 2006 and later converted into RETs in 2008 are worst sufferers of authorities’ apathy. They were due to be regularized in 2013 after completion of five years continuous services but hundreds of such RETs are running from pillar to post for justice as officers are sleeping over their files by raising one after the other query, sources added.
Sources said there is such callousness against these hapless teachers that maximum of them have not been paid salaries for over two years. Though they are facing extreme financial distress, there is no one in the Department with a human heart to take the cognizance of the same, sources added.
In Poonch district, out of 61 ReT teachers, two have been regularized while the fate of 59 is still hanging in balance. Out of these 59 ReTs, 41 were drawing salaries against other posts and their files for regularization have not been yet submitted to the higher authorities from the ZEO’s offices on the pretext that till the posts are not created against which they can draw their salaries their files can’t proceed further.
“While 18 other ReTs who are drawing salaries against the regularized posts, their files are also pending in Director Education Office, Jammu for last one and half years for unknown reasons”, said Basharat a representative of ReT teachers from Poonch.
He added that these teachers were supposed to be regularized in June 2013 and over four years have passed but the authorities are still unable to move their files, which is totally unfortunate.
“Likewise in Reasi, the files of 10 ReT teachers are pending in CEOs office since a long time. The salaries of these teachers were stopped in 2015, said Lehar Singh, a representative of ReTs from the district. He added that the files of these teachers are not being submitted to Director‘s Office and they are lying in CEO’s Office at Reasi.
Singh said that the teachers, who were appointed as EVs in 2004 and 2005, were later converted into ReTs in 2008 but their names were not mentioned in the list of ReTs by the authorities despite the fact that they were given salaries as ReTs. In 2013 when files were to be submitted, the case of these 10 ReTs was not approved as their names were not included in the list, he added.
Bahadur Singh, district president ReT Teachers Forum, Reasi while expressing his dismay over the rigidity of authorities in regularizing these teachers, said when these teachers have been asked to perform the duty as BLOs, polling officers etc why the authorities are sleeping over their files for regularization.
Besides, the files of 30 other teachers which were already forwarded by the CEO Reasi are also pending in Director School Education Office for issuance of regularization orders.
He said after the transfer of the previous CEO, the ReTs met the new CEO and he approved the files and included the name of the 10 ReTs in it giving the effect from 2008. The Department asked for all documents which the teachers attached with the file but later the file was not forwarded to Director’s Office by Assistant Director Education, Reasi and same is pending in his office since then.
In Kishtwar 15 ReT teachers are not getting their salaries since 2015 as Government has declared all these teachers as surplus though they are performing their regular duty since then. Some of the teachers are so hard pressed that they can’t afford their two time meal and other expenses. Even some of them are also at the verge of starvation as they have not been paid salaries for over last two years.
In Rajouri district also, 11 teachers who have completed their five years service in 2013 as ReTs have neither been regularized nor their salaries are being released since 2015 on the pretext that they have been declared surplus.
Jahangir Alam Khan, general secretary, ReTs Forum, said hundreds of ReT teachers are running from pillar to post for justice since 2013 as authorities have created an unnecessary confusion of declaring them surplus despite the fact that hundreds of teachers are lying vacant in the State.
Same problem existed in Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, Kathua, Samba and Jammu districts, he added.
However, when contacted the Minister of Education, Altaf Bukhari said that the teachers who have completed their formalities in all respects will be regularized soon as Education Ministry has already issued instructions in this regard.
Regarding the declaration of some ReT teachers as surplus, the Minister said that he will look into the matter and check details with authorities of the Department.
Bukhari, however, blamed the previous Government for the mess saying that the present coalition has not appointed any body and these appointments have been made by previous regime. However, we are exploring all possibilities of settling their issue.
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