Baramulla’s teaching fraternity aghast over nomination of contractual DEO as Nodal officer ULLAS
Baramulla, May 29: What has come as a shock to the teaching fraternity, the education authorities in Baramulla district have nominated a contractual employee as District Nodal Officer (DNO) for implementation of ULLAS- a centrally sponsored initiative in India, aimed at making adults literate.
The Understanding of Lifelong Learning for All in Society (ULLAS) is also known as the New India Literacy Programme (NILP) which is aimed at making adults above the age of 15 years literate. The scheme focuses on providing functional literacy, critical life skills, and vocational training to those who missed formal schooling.
However, the education authorities in Baramulla have nominated a Data Entry Operator (DEO), recruited on a contract basis in the office, as its nodal officer at the district level. The move has left the teaching fraternity of the district fumed who expressed concern over the bizarre decision of the department. As per the official document, Baramulla is the only district which has nominated a contractual non-teaching staff member as the nodal officer while the Chief Education Officers in other districts have nominated teachers, masters and lecturers as the nodal officers at the district level.
The teaching fraternity has written to the project director regarding the "bizarre" decision taken by CEO Baramulla.
"DEOs are support staff engaged purely for data punching and MIS support, with no administrative or financial authority as per Samagra Shiksha guidelines. Their contractual nature further disqualifies them from holding charge of a centrally sponsored, financially linked, and field-intensive literacy programme which includes mobilizing communities and student volunteers in alignment with NEP2020 like ULLAS," it reads.
The teaching fraternity has stated that such a nomination disregards the presence of permanent teachers, headmasters, and Lecturers in the district, who are "professionally and structurally suited for this role", as is reflected in the nominations made in other districts.
"The matter needs to be kindly examined at the earliest," the representation reads. As per the official document, the nomination of DNOs have been done to ensure the smooth, effective, decentralized and coordinated implementation of ULLAS. The DNOs are entrusted to coordinate with the district administration, District Institute of Education & Training (DIETs), PRIs, and other stakeholders for effective implementation of ULLAS.
"They have to ensure the identification, mobilisation, and registration of beneficiaries under the five components of the scheme and supervise training sessions, learning material distribution and monitoring of volunteers," the official document reads.
The DNOs have to prepare and submit periodic progress reports, utilization certificates, and other documentation as required by Samagra Directorate. "DNOs will act as the district-level point of contact for all communications and directives related to ULLAS," it reads.
The teaching fraternity of Baramulla district however expressed concern over the issue saying that the authorities make mockery of the academic interventions by making such nominations. Coordinator ULLAS at Project Directorate of Samagra, when contacted, said the nominations of DNOs are submitted by the CEOs. "For official purposes, the actual DNO is CEO but due to office engagements, CEOs nominate any one as representative at district level. If the CEO Baramulla will withdraw the recommendations and nominate any teacher, lecturer or Headmaster, we will consider that," the coordinator told Greater Kashmir.
