Teaching for peanuts

Dhanbad, Oct. 29: About 600 para-teachers of primary and middle schools in three blocks have not received their honorariums for six months allegedly because of irregularities in their appointments.

The village education committees had appointed the teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan on one-year contracts. While 150 teachers were appointed in Govindpur block, 183 and 263 teachers were appointed in Jharia and Topchanchi blocks respectively. The contracts began on April 2006 but the teachers have not yet received their honorariums of Rs 2,500 per month.

The reason for non-payment of salaries, alleged some authorities, is because the appointments did not happen according to norms. The Govindpur block development officer (BDO), Manoj Kumar, has alleged that the education extension officer, who is responsible for the appointments, selected the teachers without the approval of the block education committee.

As per norms, village education committees select para-teachers under the supervision of the block education extension officer. The names are forwarded to the district superintendent of education (DSE) after the block education committee, which is headed by the BDO concerned, approves it.

The DSE, Brahmdeo Rai, confirmed that the meetings were not held. “As far as my information goes, the decisive meeting was not held in Jharia and Govindpur. But in Topchanchi, it was held,” he said.

Rai said the honorariums for the teachers of Topchanchi have been cleared at the district level but the processing was stalled at the block level because of Chhat holiday.

Though the chances of wrongful appointments are less because of the transparent selection procedure, Rai added, the contracts would be cancelled if such selections were detected.

The Para-teachers’ Sangh, meanwhile, has taken strong exception to the episode. “None of the appointments are flawed, all the para-teachers will get justice. We will place the matter before the regional deputy director of education on Monday and clear the pending honorariums,” chairman of the association J.P. Verma said.