STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam State Primary Teachers' Association (ASPTA) has challenged State Education Minister Ranoj Pegu's assertion that there are no schools without teachers in the State because such posts are "adjusted".
The Education Minister had made this comment in response to data collected during a recent survey by the ASPTA in 33,829 primary schools of the State, which are under the association's jurisdiction, spread over 51 academic sub-divisions in 32 districts. According to the survey, 3,716 primary schools across the State are presently functioning with a lone teacher while 314 other schools do not have even a single teacher.
ASPTA general secretary Ratul Chandra Goswami said with reference to Pegu's comment regarding 'adjustment' of teachers, "So long as a caretaker is not given rights over the property that he is guarding, he cannot be called the owner of that property."
Pointing out that the adjustment/transfer process of teachers remains halted as per a special Notification issued by the Education Department, Goswami asked on what basis the Education Minister is making claims regarding "adjustment" to resolve the shortage of teachers. Goswami claimed that actually rules framed by the Education Department prohibit such "adjustment/transfer". In fact, the use of he word "adjustment" by the Education Minister is sufficient to reveal the state of affairs in primary schools of the State, Goswami remarked.
He said that some "adjustment" has indeed taken place on the basis of verbal directives issued by officials of the Education Department, which has forced some teachers to teach as many as six Classes on one day. He added that such teachers are getting paid to work in one school, but actually working in another school altogether.
He said the problem has been worsened because the Education Department is ignoring the ASPTA's suggestion to de-centralize matters of teachers' transfer and vest the power at the district level.
Providing an example of the problems faced in schools which do not have teachers, Goswami mentioned that a teacher named Ananda Rabha had retired from the Borjhar Primary School (under Rampur Education Block in the Kamrup district) on December 31, 2021. However, Rabha could file his pension-related documents papers only on February 12 this year because there was no other person in the school to issue the necessary No-Objection Certificate (NOC). Such incidents are occurring in many other schools of the State, he said. Goswami urged the Government to ensure that teachers are appointed in each class of each primary school of the State by April 20, before the Gunotsav 2022 commences.
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