Govt teachers made to run errands for non-teaching staff

Nagpur: Teachers from three government institutes in Nagpur are up in arms over the joint director’s decision to make them conduct petty inspection at aided and unaided education colleges in Wardha, Gondia and Bhandara. The inspection included confirmation of norms laid down by National Council of Teachers Education (NCTE)/Rehabiliatoin Council of India (RCI).
So far, teachers would get appointed on the important local enquiry committees (LEC) having more powers and bigger role where they checked compliance on parameters as per the pro forma and assess colleges.
The associate professors and assistant professors, who were assigned the petty task, have contested the joint director’s move saying it was the responsiblitiy of non-teaching staff. The visits disrupted teaching and learning from January 24 to 30 at Institute of Science, Vasantrao Naik Government Institute of Social Sciences and Arts and Institute of Forensic Sciences.
Officials said the inspection has to be done by ‘government officers’ and since the teachers come through MPSC cadre they fit the criteria. “The government teachers come under Maharashtra Education Collegiate Branch Class I type. It is part of their duties. When the authority assigns any work, they ought to do it in addition to regular work,” they said.
Officials said such work is assigned only for a week or once and twice a year. “In fact, teachers themselves volunteer for the work. The inspection is related to teaching and at the time of appointment, they accept the rules and regulation,” they said.
Officials said the non-teaching staff is not qualified enough to carry out the inspection.
Contrary to this, teachers said they are deliberately humiliated by the government officers time and again. “The joint director has sufficient non-teaching staff beside he has the powers to requisition more from the other colleges. Our job is to ensure teaching, learning and research. We are not here to whether these colleges fulfil the norms of NCTE regarding staff and infrastructure,” some teachers said.
The joint director’s letter dated January 24 states the inspection has to be carried out by the joint director office and therefore teachers at the government college/institutes are being nominated as government representatives for the task.
Countering the officials, teachers said they say this is assigned only once or twice. “But, after this, we will be told to go for common entrance test. Then, something else will come up,” they said, adding those reluctant to take up the job are threatened with transfer.