Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Jan 30: Slow progress in civil works and non-adherence of set guidelines is all set to cost the State Government crores of rupees for paying salaries of Masters and completion of school building under the Government of India’s flagship scheme ‘Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan’ (RMSA).
According to the official sources, the State Government annually requires more than Rs 50 crores for paying salaries of the Masters and Headmasters under RMSA and almost same amount for completion of around 300 school buildings, on which work is in progress or abandoned.
The Union Ministry of Human Resources Development is learnt to have clearly refused to release additional funds for meeting the expenses on account of cost escalation and payment of enhanced salaries under the scheme, sources added.
While elaborating sources said that the State Government has to bear the additional burden of Rs 4.69 crores per month for the salaries of Masters and Headmasters under RMSA as the HRD Ministry has squeezed the flow of funds from Rs 45000 per month to Rs 27160 per month for salary purpose since this financial year. The squeezed flow of funds was the result of non-adherence of set guidelines for implementation of RMSA, under which the State Government had to recruit subject-specific teachers on contractual basis for the upgraded schools at the rate of Rs 27160 per month salary.
However, instead of following the guidelines, the Education Department promoted working teachers and elevated their pay scale since direct recruitment as Master is not in place in Jammu and Kashmir.
The elevation of regular teachers as Masters resulted in additional requirement of funds for the enhanced salaries, which was earlier being released by the HRD Ministry till last financial year.
Now the curtailment of funds has triggered a chaos in RMSA as Masters and Headmasters under the scheme have not been paid salary for months.
Similarly, slow progress in civil works has also posed additional demand of around Rs 50 crores for completion of the school buildings under RMSA while the Ministry of HRD has refused repeated requests of the State Government to release extra money for the same.
Out of approved 636 new secondary schools under RMSA since 2009, civil work is completed in only 92 schools, which means mere 14.47 percent of the total. Work is in progress in 246 schools while construction is yet to be started in remaining 188 schools.
Slow progress in civil work because of different reasons led to cost escalation with the result that maximum among these school buildings are incomplete. In 2012-13, the State Government had sent a proposal to the MHRD seeking additional Rs 38 crores for completion of these buildings but the Union Ministry rejected the request with the comment that there was no fault on its part for the cost escalation, sources informed.
Since the cost escalation was estimated more than two years, it has now almost crossed Rs 50 crores, sources said and added that in the prevailing situation, the State Government has no option other than to bear the additional burden on account of salaries and completion of school buildings.
When contacted, Mission Director RMSA, Shameem Ahmad Laharwal admitted that the MHRD had refused to release additional funds despite repeated requests of the State Government and this was the reason behind delay in disbursement of the salaries of the Masters and Headmasters under the scheme.
He also informed that monthly salary of the subject specific masters for January and February has been released at the rate of Rs 27160 per month and the Government has to arrange Rs 52 crores from Plan to bear the additional burden. “Similarly, around Rs 50 crores have to be arranged for completion of the school buildings and the matter has been brought into the notice of State Government,” Mr Laharwal added.
Pertinent to mention that the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India had launched RMSA scheme in March 2009 for enhancing access to secondary education and for improving its quality by upgrading both infrastructure and staff.
As per the provisions of the scheme, both the school and the staff of the upgraded schools are meant to be elevated and the Centre as well as the State Government provide funds in the ratio of 75:25.
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