The Supreme Court recently made rather uncomplimentary observations about para-teachers, saying their appointment has hampered quality of education. It said the ‘shiksha mitra’ had actually turned out to be ‘shiksha-shatru’ (enemy to education).
It also held that the State appointed para-teachers solely with motive of political gains without any standard procedures of appointment. It concluded that the para-teachers are paid one fourth of what is paid to regular teachers and education could not improve in such scenario.
On the observation of appointment the para - teachers put the ball in Government’s court. “When the Government recruited us it was solely their decision to set the criteria for recruitment. We have qualified their criteria then only we have been made teachers,” said Binod Tiwari, leader of para-teachers.
The teachers though they conceded that the quality of teaching faculty has been compromised but they claim that pupils’ - teachers’ ratio has improved. And many schools in rural areas and Maoist’s stronghold have been running because para- teachers have agreed to take classes there.
The teachers said that they would continue demanding regularisation of their job. “We have spent ten years or so teaching as para-teachers. All other career prospects have expired. If we are not regularised we will be left to die,” Tiwari said.
Though the SC had restricted its remark only to the para-teachers but the same argument might be applied on all other workers who are appointed on contract basis. And this is not good news for the contract workers of State, whose first demand after being inducted into services is regularisation of their jobs.
Also because recently the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) wrote to the Chief Secretary and principal secretaries of other departments that contract workers on various posts – which are supposed to be filled through JPSC - would not be regularised in future.
“The decision will impact appointments on pots supposed to be filled by the JPSC. What other departments and Staff Selection Commission do is up to their wisdom. We have also made it clear that cannot be taken as an example,” said Deputy Secretary of JPSC Bal Mukund Jha.
There are around 1lakhs contract workers in State. This includes around 87,000 para-teachers, around 15, 00 para-medical staffs, computer operators in different departments.
These contract workers keep on gathering and protesting off and on demanding among other things regularisation of their jobs. But these two developments first the observation of the Supreme Court and decision of JPSC might jeopardize their chances of regularisation.
National Rural Health Mission director in State Abu Bakar Siddique said that there was no question of NRHM contract workers to be regularised because they are recruited only for a year. The NRHM contract workers keep on demanding the regularisation of their jobs continuously.