Dimapur, November 24: From the alleged blatant corruption in the form of misappropriation of funds, SK Oil scam, wheat scam, mid-day meal scam and the subsequent probe being made by the State Village Commission (SVC) on MNREGA fund misappropriation, pot-hole scam, pension scam, non-payment of employee salaries, backdoor appointments etc., Action Corruption and Unabated Taxation (ACAUT) has revealed tales of internal squabbles within the School Education Department leaving hundreds of government schools in dire straits.
Citing media reports in which 160 government schools were functioning without headmasters with the resultant 32.81% passed in the HSLC examinations and 30 schools reporting nil results, the State School Education minister took upon the responsibility during his speech at the State level Teacher’s Day celebration.
Against this background, the School Education is urged to go ahead with the promotion of Graduate Teachers 1983-89 batch as Assistant Head Masters (AHMs) and Junior Education Officers (JEOs) by December 2016 as promised by the Commissioner and Secretary FP Solo. The department has taken the right decision since there is no question of junior batch (1992) superseding the 1983-89 batches and this decision will hopefully result in all the schools functioning in full strength with the required head masters.
Secondly, ACAUT condemned the discriminatory tactics of the Finance Department wherein lower cadres such as constables etc, are denied TA entitlement after retirement despite the Office Memorandum issued on November 25, 2013. Stating that these lower cadre police personnel are the backbone of any police force, it expressed shocked to learn that hundreds were denied their TAs whereas the high ranked officers do not face such problem after retirement.
“If this problem persists, insubordination and gross indiscipline in the ranks cannot be ruled out in the near future having dire consequences,” ACAUT said, while it also questioned as to where have all these money gone.
