- Governor should personally take cognizance of the malfunctioning of education sector: Harsh
JAMMU: Expressing grave concern over the malfunctioning of the Education Deptt. In J&K, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh JKNPP chairman & former Minister has lambasted the state govt. for alleged chaos, red tape, anarchy and mis- governance in the said deptt. Alleging total breakdown of education set up in the State during the last few years, he said that the educational activity had become the major causality of bureaucratic red tape and highly whimsical policies of the state Govt. resulting in collapse of state as well as centrally sponsored schemes in education sector. He was addressing a delegation of teachers who had called him and requested him to project their concerns before the higher authorities including the Governor.
Lambasting the administrative machinery for its earlier decision of making the attachments and deployments of thousands of teachers on political and other extraneous considerations, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh expressed concern over the biased approach of concerned authorities in the implementation of the recent govt. order on detachments. He said that while the influential ones had managed to remain attached with some getting postings of their choice, those having no access to the authorities at the helm were detached. He regretted the highly whimsical and arbitrary approach of concerned authorities in dealing with attachments which had created a lot of furore and resentment amongst the teaching fraternity leading to large scale unrest, protests and demonstrations.
He further expressed his dismay over the pick and choose policy adopted by the education deptt. In adjusting the promoted Masters, Lecturers, ZEOs and Principals. He said out of 1100 masters promoted in Feb. 2014, around 150 Masters had been given postings and hence higher grade of Master while around 950 Masters were still being given the teachers grade salary which was highly illogical, un-reasonable besides being illegal. Similar was the case with promoted lectures, ZEOs etc.
Expressing grave concern over acute paucity of teaching staff in various schools, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh questioned the withholdings of selection lists of teachers by Service Selection Board despite their selection process having been completed around one year back. He further regretted the non release of select lists of RETs who had applied for various recurring vacancies during the last 2-3 years.
He further condemned the non-release of salaries of teachers, masters and RETs who have been deprived of the same for periods ranging from 6 months to one year. He castigated the callous attitude of concerned authorities in withholding the salaries and arrears of EVs converted as RETs for the last more than one year due to lackadaisical approach of concerned authorities who failed to make proper projections before GOI for adequate funding.
He said that the RETs and EVs appointed under SSA scheme were the worst sufferers as the GOI had released only Rs. 600 crores out of the proposed plan of Rs. 1600 crore for 2014-15 for establishment as well as infrastructure development. He said that similar was the case with RMSA which too had crumbled due to official red tape and gross negligence. He expressed his dismay that GOI had released only Rs. 30 crore out of the projected plan of 403 crore.
He deplored the highly chaotic state of affairs in the deptt. which had created a huge mess causing irreparable damage to the academic activity in the educational institutions besides jeopardizing the careers of students particularly in the remote area schools. He urged for personal intervention of the governor to stem the rot and to steer the deptt. out of the crisis.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh decried in particular the total failure of the govt. to effectively implement RMSA (Rashtriya Madhamik Shiksha Abhiyan) in the state which was launched all over the country in 2008. He said that RMSA was the most ambitious project of GOI, which if implemented in proper perspective, had the potential to transform the entire secondary system of education. He deplored that funds provided under RMSA during the last few years for staff creation, for infrastructure creation and for other developmental related activity in Education had remained completely unspent and un-utilized due to gross negligence, apathy, neglect and red-tape of the concerned officers and bureaucrats.
Mr. Singh further said that GOI had sanctioned model schools under RMSA for every educationally backward block of the state about four years back and Rs. 3 crore approx. as unit cost were earmarked for infrastructure development of each such institution. He said not even a single school had been so developed despite a lapse of four years and not a single penny out of hundreds of crores so sanctioned for development of Model Schools utilized under the scheme till date. He said that similar was the case with construction of Girls Residential Hostels for which GOI has released funds about 3 years back but not a single penny had been utilized till date.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh lamented over the extremely poor pace of progress in the implementation of GOI sponsored girl education projects in the form of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayes (KGBVs). He said that the 99 KGBVs sanctioned in 2005 and 2006 were not made fully functional and not even a single building for the said institutions had been completed despite full funding by the GOI. He alleged large scale irregularities, omissions and commissions being committed in JKBOSE without any check. He said that with no full time chairman and secretary in the JKBOSE, the officers at the junior levels were indulging in all kinds of malpractices with several examgates having occurred in the past.
Mr. Harsh Dev Singh further castigated the deptt. for large scale stagnation and its failure to ensure regularization of in-charge teaching staff despite several assurances on the subject including cabinet decisions. Mr. Harsh Dev Singh regretted that the state of affairs being most melancholic and extremely sad, the indulgence of the governor into the large scale lapses, omissions and red tape of govt. functionaries was paramount. He made a humble implore to the governor to intervene personally as the people of the state were not only being deprived of the benefits of GOI schemes but were also feeling extremely helpless in the face of a highly irresponsible, reckless and despotic bureaucratic govt. set up.