Noose to tighten on absentee teachers

Following the flak received after the infamous CM- Uttara Bahuguna  showdown whose aftermath sparked a public debate about the transfer system  being tweaked to favour  the influential, the education department is planning to compulsory retire or terminate the services of the absentee teachers.

There are hundreds of such teachers in the department who, on strength of their connections, remain absent from their duties for long, without facing consequences of any kind.   Many  of such teachers  are on leave without pay in violation of all the norms while they wait ensconced in the comforts of their houses to be transferred to their chosen  places. 

Rattled by the CM- Uttara Bahuguna spat, the education department is preparing a list of such teachers. The Director General (DG) school education, Captain Alok Shekhar Tiwari told The Pioneer that the task of preparing the lists is almost complete. He said that strict action would be taken against such teachers by the authorities concerned. The DG further informed that the district level scrutiny committees would take up the issue of such teachers and employees and recommend necessary punitive action.  “The article 309 of Indian Constitution says that leave is a benefit and not a right of an employee.  Moreover, the government regulations regarding leave are very clear. The leave without pay ( LwP)  can be granted to an employee only under exceptional circumstances by  the superior authority.  As a matter of fact, the situation in Uttarakhand in matter of leaves is very bad, even worse than Uttar Pradesh,’’ he said.  The DG made it clear that the action against such absentee  teachers and employees would be severe.

It is learnt that the education department swung into action after reports of some well-connected employees remaining on long leaves came up in the media and circulated on social media platforms. The name of the wife of the Union Minister of state for textiles Ajay Tamta also figured in the list of teachers enjoying long period of leave from their workplaces.

Observers say that the proposed action against the long absentee teachers by declaring them as absconders and taking strict punitive action is  a desperate attempt at  face saving as  the department is reeling under severe criticism for  being soft on some  employees who  dare to violate the norms with impunity on the strength of their connect with the high and the mighty.