Government school teachers across the district would get their salaries every month only after they produce an attendance certificate signed by parents.An order issued on June 17 by the Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner said government school teachers across the district would get their salaries every month only after they produce an attendance certificate signed by parents of at least 10 students and the sarpanch. A teacher at a government school in Kishtwar, on conditions of anonymity, talks about how the order is “against civil service rules”.
How long have you been teaching?
Fifteen years. I was recruited as a primary teacher in 2004.
What do you think of the Deputy Commissioner’s order?
It is totally against civil service rules. Half-a-dozen agencies in the district are monitoring the attendance of a government school teacher — from the Zonal Education Officer to Chief Education Officer and Director Education Officer. I don’t think there are these many bodies to check the attendance of employees in any other department. This is apart from the Village Education Committees (VECs) and Parent-Teacher Associations which have villagers, including parents, panches and sarpanches… This order does not seem practical.
Why do you think so?
Say, a school is in a far-flung area and has only 10-15 students on its rolls. Where will the teacher get signatures of 10 every month, and another set of 10 parents the following month?
What, according to you, prompted the order?
Only the officer who issued the order can tell you that. Maybe he received complaints from some quarters, but there can’t be any blanket rule since it’s not as if there is a culture of absenteeism among teachers. This academic year, I have taken five days leave to appear for my B.Ed exam. My colleagues too take leave on genuine grounds and these are sanctioned by the authority concerned.
Has the administration taken similar measures in the past to check absenteeism?
I can’t think of any such rule issued in the past.
