Future builders

Jorhat, Aug. 24: Teachers of the state who bag state or national merit awards will now get another reward — extension of service by one or two years.

The recently launched state education department scheme envisages continued utilisation of services of teachers “for outstanding contribution in the realm of education” beyond the period of superannuation by one year for state awardees and two years for national awardees.

A recent notification from the education (secondary) department stated, “The governor of Assam is pleased to introduce the following scheme for re-employment of teachers having been conferred with national/state awards for outstanding contribution in the realm of education subject to physical fitness, mental alertness and willingness to work beyond the date of superannuation.”

The Jorhat district inspector of schools, Kamal Jyoti Gogoi, said the scheme would be implemented from this year with 27 teachers, one each from each district, including the Bodoland Territorial Areas District and Sixth Schedule areas, being selected for the state award.

“The extension of service will have two-fold benefits. On one hand, the teachers will get to serve one or two more years, as the case may be, on full salary and on the other, the school can avail the services and experiences of efficient and capable teachers from whom much can be learnt,” Gogoi said.

The state award is given to lower primary, upper primary and secondary level teachers and the state is asked to recommend names of two or three teachers from among them for the national award.

“This year Teachers’ Day on September 5 will be held centrally in Jorhat and all the 27 awarded teachers will be felicitated in a day-long function which will conclude with a cultural function,” Gogoi said.

Gogoi said each awardee teacher would be given a copper bust of Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, one of India’s most inspiring educators on whose birth anniversary Teachers Day is observed. The teachers will also be taken on a trip to Majuli, and as September 5 also happens to be Madhav Dev Tithi, there will be naam prasanga in the evening.

He said teachers receiving an award could apply for re-employment after superannuation to the government in a prescribed form that would be verified by the respective district elementary education officer or inspector of schools.

The terms of re-employment state that it should be done for a separate post in the same school that would be created for the period of re-employment. The re-employed teacher, however, can be appointed in any post except headmaster or principal of the school.