Peeved by the continuous protest by the teachers, the Punjab Education Department on Thursday decided to act tough, sending out a clear message that the Government would not bow down.
Taking the plea of ensuing final examinations, the Department has issued instructions to the district officers to approach the courts against the teachers, participating in protests, strikes dharnas, and rallies.
The state Education Secretary Krishan Kumar, who is supervising the teachers’ situation following the government’s regularisation orders, has issued a letter to all the director public instructions (DPIs), and district education officers (DEOs), directing them to file cases in the courts to refrain the teachers from holding protests in their respective districts.
“Director Public Instructions (Secondary Education) and Director Public Instructions (Elementary Education) are directed to file the Civil Suit for Permanent Injunction and Mandatory Injunction in their respective Districts through District Education Officers and obtain appropriate orders from the Courts for the better administration and smooth functioning of the schools and offices of Education Department, so that the study of the students may not be disturbed,” read the one-page order.
It was pointed in the order that the Department of School Education has observed that number of teachers, through their respective Unions, are “interfering” in the smooth functioning of the schools and offices of Education Department at district level, due to which the entire environment of the schools are being disrupted leading to the lawlessness.
“Since the final exams of children are approaching, so, it is in the interest of Education or study of the students that such teachers may not indulge in dharnas, strike, rally or protests etc,” read the orders, which have been forwarded to DPI (Secondary Education), DPI (Elementary Education), all the DEOs (Secondary Education), and all the DEOs (Elementary Education).
The state’s school teachers and the state government have been on warpath ever since October last year when the State Government announced their regularisation policy with a condition which requires them to work at a monthly salary of nearly Rs 15,000 for three years before being regularised in their jobs. Punjab Cabinet had approved to regularize the services of as many 8,886 teachers recruited under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), as well Adarsh and Model Schools, with a 35 percent pay cut for the first three years.
Other than that, many teachers were also holding protests against the State Government’s ‘Parho Punjab, Parhao Punjab’ project.