The BJD Government has adopted a very clever trick in the name of fiscal austerity by continuing contractual appointments in various departments.
Never before had any Government of the State resorted to such huge temporary manpower recruitments. Even crucial positions such as doctors, engineers and several other technical hands are not spared. As a result, despite having higher qualifications, many young talents are languishing in low payments and harassments. This has given rise to lack of professionalism, corruption and over and above large scale resentment taking shape of agitations.
But the contract appointments and Block Grant in education sector have not just created unease by lingering strike and cease work of teachers but hit the education of rural masses. The 41 days shutdown agitation by the Block Grant high school teachers last year had greatly affected the studies in rural schools.
While earlier, the Governments were giving regular appointments and grant-in-aid (GIA) keeping in view the importance of the education sector, the BJD Government has played second fiddle with education as such. Especially when it comes to education of the rural and interior parts, the Government is not at all serious whether the schools and colleges are running normally or not.
Though the BJD Government has allowed setting up of new schools and colleges for political reasons, but in addressing the mounting vacancies in old schools and colleges and providing GIA to the eligible institutions as per the previous policies, it has not at all shown any interest.
It has managed to curtail expenses by following contract job formula. Interestingly, while mode of appointment is contractual, it has shrewdly divided the teachers under various names like Contractual Teachers, Block Grant Teachers, Shiksha Sahayaks, Gana Shikshaks, SC/ST Gana Shikshaks, 662 Block Grant college teachers, 488 Block Grant college teachers, to name but a few. All these teachers have one similarity-they’re not regular employees.
The teachers too have formed unions as per their category. Though all of them seek regular service, yet they are averse to come to a single platform, God knows why! Divided as they are, the Government has managed to cajole or coerce them to its tricks. For, lo and behold, the Block Grant high school teachers were won over by sugar-coated talks a few months back which helped in breaking a deadlock in the shutdown rural schools, but now after having failed to keep its promise, the Government has baton-charged the same teachers.
The 662 and 488-rank college teachers too had put off their stir after being assured of an inter-Ministerial panel assigned to resolve the issue, but after they found the Government to be deceitful; they have shut their institutions and held sit-ins at the capital city.
The question is why the Government has been playing with the career of thousands of Odias who are in teaching profession. Does it mean to keep them continuing as contract staffers till their superannuationIJ