Couple of days back I had posted one article on the status of education where the Nitish Kumar Govt in Bihar had to take drastic action against the erring teachers to improve the school education system. Although the author had put the states of Punjab and Haryana in the same category and praised Himachal. But it has become quite common in Himachal that some leaders (cum teachers) play politics over the issue and poor students as well their parents have to suffer. Another example of such case is available from a prominent school at Pandoh.
Villagers lock classrooms
Tribune News Service
Mandi, September 21
Tension gripped Government School at Pandoh as the pardhan of Pandoh gram panchayat Khem Chand along with other villagers locked classrooms meant for classes 9 and 10. They said they had locked the school as teachers had refused to teach these two classes.
Khem Chand said the villagers were fed up as teachers had refused to teach classes 9 and 10 due to their tussle with the government ever since the new directorate of Elementary Education was created.
The protesting lecturers said the pardhan had no right to lock the school and they had registered a case against him. They said they would not teach as the government was yet to fix the quota for lecturers in promotion and they were appointed to teach only one subject to classes +1 and +2.
Officiating school principal, Sunita Sharma said she had informed the police and then the school had been unlocked.
Director senior secondary education Dr Anita Rao said the directorate had already sent letters to all schools in the state, stating that lecturers would teach classes 9 to 12 in senior secondary schools where TGTs are not available.
“There is no mention that lecturers will not teach classes 9 and 10 and only teach classes +1 and +2. The promotion quota for lecturers and TGTs has been fixed at 50: 50 ratio. The department will take action if lecturers do not teach these classesâ€, she asserted.
SHO Mandi Sadar, Rajesh Kumar said the police had registered a case of illegal confinement against the pardhan under bailable Section 342 of the IPC.
Born in Bilaspur, Dr. Vatsayayan is Professor and Head of the Aerospace Engineering Department at IIT, Mumbai, India.
