PIONEER NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Resentment is brewing in the government teachers over the show cause notice served by the Education department to assistant teacher (Mathematics) at Government Inter College, Gwad, in Chamoli, LM Sati for his behaviour during a programme attended by Education minister Dhan Singh Rawat.
In her notice, the additional director (Secondary Education) Kanchan Devradi has asked Sati to submit his reply by May 19.
On Saturday the annual function of the GIC, Gwad, Dewaldhar, in Chamoli was organised and attended by minister Rawat, local MLAs, officers of Education department, teachers and students. In the programme, Sati interrupted the address of the minister and raised the issue of promotion of teachers. In a video being circulated on social media, the minister is seen hearing Sati patiently. He even asked the senior officers of the department to stay away when they asked Sati to discontinue his monologue.
While the department has stated that Sati’s behaviour is against the Employee Conduct Manual, the teachers are supporting him. They point out that the process of promotions in the department has stopped and thousands of teachers have retired in the last few years without getting even one promotion during their entire service period.
“There is a system of multiple entries in the department. This coupled with the blunders done by the department resulted in disparities in promotion in the past due to which the issue was taken to the court by some teachers. Apart from this the department’s attempt to recruit 50 per cent posts of headmasters by recruitment examination also attracted opposition from various quarters which resulted in the government halting the process. The situation has come to such an extent that most of the positions of Headmasters and Principals in the State are vacant at present and teachers are retiring without getting promotion. This is a case of justice delayed is justice denied. We request the department that it should not take any action against Sati and clear the legal tangles in the process of promotion,’’ said a senior teacher deployed in Dehradun district.
The president of Rajkeeya Shikshak Sangh, Ram Singh Chauhan said that the incident which occurred in Chamoli was given unnecessary importance by some and was circulated in social media. The education minister allowed the teacher to speak. Chauhan said that whatever Sati said can be said as an emotional outburst and frustration. He said that 1,150 posts of principals and 850 posts of headmasters are vacant in the department and the process of promotion has remained halted from 2017.
