The education department’s decision to send teachers found absent without any intimation during inspections, to the schools located in mountainous and hard to access areas (Durgam) is being criticized by the educationists and general public. The department’s move is being castigated for the negative approach it has for the schools located in mountainous terrains.
On the orders of the Director General (DG) school education, many teams of the comprising of officers of the education department conducted surprise inspection in hundreds of the schools across the state on July 01 and 3 and found 29 teachers absent without any intimation. Two schools in Champawat district were even found locked. In a strange step, instead of initiating disciplinary proceedings against these teachers, the department decided to transfer such teachers to Durgam schools. The DG has said teachers found absent without information in future inspections too would be treated in the similar way.
“The order clearly shows that the education department has officially accepted that schools located in remote mountainous areas are actually punishment postings. Secondly it also underlies the contempt the department has for the students enrolled in the so called Durgam schools. Further there is a policy for transfer of teachers and there is no mention of anything like punishment posting,’’ said a teacher posted in Chakratra block of Dehradun.
Hans Raj Singh a resident of Bantholi village located in Ekeshwar block of Pauri Garhwal district puts up a reasonable question when informed about the department’ decision; “ Are the department officers are so naive to think that the teachers who are accustomed to the skipping schools located on road heads where there is a constant threat of inspection would attend schools located in hardly accessible areasIJ’’ The question put up by the villager is valid since there are thousands of schools located in mountainous areas where no official has ever turned up to inspect. In such schools the punishment posting of habitual absentees is nothing but a punishment for the students enrolled in these schools as these teachers can here easily skip schools for days together.
The President of the district unit of Prathemik Shikshak Sangh (PSS), the association of Primary teachers of government schools, Virendra Singh Krishali also rubbished the department’s decision. He said that the absentee teachers should be provided a chance to explain the reason of their absence. The department should let off such teachers after a stern warning and if they are caught again in the same act then stern disciplinary action should be initiated against them but posting to Durgam School is not a punishment, he explained.