Teachers hopeful Tamil Nadu govt will revive posts of elementary education officers

CHENNAI:  Primary school associations across the State harbour hope that the posts of district elementary education officers (DEEOs) and assistant elementary education officers (AEEOs) will be re-created to ensure effective functioning of the elementary education departments.  

This comes after the posts of DEEOs and AEEOs were abolished in May 2018, citing administrative reasons. Their powers were then given to the district educational officers and chief educational officers through government orders 101 and 108.

Now, the guilds expect the G.O.s will be scrapped at the Joint Action Council of Teachers’ Organisations-Government Employees’ Organisations (Jacto-Geo) State conference in Island Grounds on Saturday. Chief Minister MK Stalin, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy and School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi are set to participate in the conference.

“The chief educational officers and district educational officers are already overburdened and they are not able to inspect schools properly. Due to this, there is a delay in processing files as well. A total of seven associations representing elementary teachers have participated in the three rounds of talks with the present government regarding the issue,” mentioned R Doss, general secretary of Elementary School Teachers’ Association.

At present, it is difficult for the director of elementary education to implement any decision as the CEOs and DEOs report to the school education department, said A Mayavan, a founding member of the Tamil Nadu PG Teachers’ Association. This has to be changed, the retired teacher added.

A major demand of the Jacto-Geo members is to bring back the previous pension scheme promised by the DMK government in its election manifesto. Other  major demands by the teachers’ association include bringing back the increment given for completion of higher education and filling of vacancies, said Perumalsamy,   president of Tamil Nadu PG Teachers’ Association.