DSEK relieves 4 teachers

Srinagar, Nov 24: The Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) has woken up to the prolonged attachment of teachers in offices and has relieved several teachers from offices.

In a latest development, the DSEK has relieved four teachers who were deployed in the office for several years. The move comes amid the hue and cry over the prolonged deployment and attachment of teachers in offices across Valley. The teachers who remain deployed in offices do not attend the schools, their original place of postings.

"The following teachers working on deployment basis in the office of CEO Bandipora are hereby detached and directed to report to their original place of posting and accordingly are relieved with immediate effect," the official document signed by DSEK reads.

An official said these teachers were deputed in CEO office Bandipora for a prolonged period and never attended their original place of posting forcing DSEK to relieve them from CEO office.

"This is not the problem with Bandipora district alone but the menace of attachments and deployment persists in other districts as well. The teachers have been attached with CEO offices for decades and they have never joined their schools," the official said.

This newspaper earlier carried a series of stories and highlighted the issue of prolonged attachment of teachers in CEO offices and office of Zonal Education Officer (ZEO). The government issued repeated circular instructions to CEOs and ZEOs to relieve the teachers from offices but the orders were not implemented in letter and spirit.

These teachers are working as Cultural coordinators or have taken up other assignments in offices. "There is a fixed tenure for this kind of deployment wherein a teacher is designated as a cultural coordinator or given any other assignment. But some teachers, to avoid teaching their students in schools, manage their prolonged stay in offices illegally," the official said.

While the DSEK has relieved teachers from CEO office Bandipora, the teaching community has demanded similar actions in other districts including Baramulla, Kupwara and other districts where some teachers using influence continue to remain deployed in CEO offices.