Education dept under fire again

Secondary school employees threaten stir Kohima, May 5 (EMN): Problems and dissension in the State’s department of School Education shows no sign of waning down as another section of the department’s employees are threatening to launch a 3-phased agitation from May 10 if their grievances were not redressed by then. The Nagaland Government Higher Secondary School Employees Association (NGHSSEA), the lone registered service association under the department, has been demanding that the State government review its order in respect of withdrawal of the power of Drawal and Disbursing Officer (DDO) from GHSS principals and handing over the same to DEOs of secondary cadres as part of rationalisation in the department. The Association also demanded that the State government submit the incumbency list and post continuation to the Accountant General so as to enable the officers of school education to obtain pay slips; publish the seniority list of officers of higher secondary section under the school education department; and for promotion of higher secondary officers to fill vacant posts. Addressing a press conference following a consultative executive meeting of the NGHSSEA at LCS building in Kohima today, Association president Kelhikha Kenye informed that NGHSSEA had served a 7-day ultimatum to the State government on May 3 with a warning that in the event the latter failed to fulfil the demands which are related to basic service matters of the officers, it would resort to democratic means of protest. The Association members told reporters that they have submitted several representations and reminder to the government regarding their 4-point demand. Apparently, during a joint meeting on April 3 last at the Civil Secretariat between the Association and 10 members representing the government, including the minister for School Education, the latter had verbally assured to review the matters and address them accordingly. However, NGHSSEA is yet to see any visible progress as well as the minutes of the meeting from the government, which, the members alleged, clearly showed that the government is not serious to address the issue. NGHSSEA officials stated that ever since the introduction of the higher secondary section in the department in 1992, they have not participated in any agitation and have rather concentrated on enhancing the academic growth of the students while extending full cooperation to the government, waiting patiently for solution to any issue. However, they felt that frequent betrayals of trust by the government have left them without option but to launch democratic form of protest. According to the Association, the DDO power exercised by principals in the department is nominal in nature as they involve only token signature for salaries and do not exercise financial discretion in view of scrutiny of every financial bill in the directorate. Nonetheless, they said the DDO power is an effective tool for smooth management of staff in the school vis-à-vis checking irregularity and absenteeism of teachers and staff. Citing the government order No.ED/EST/MISC/B-29/2006-07 dated 6th March 2017, NGHSSEA is of the view that the government’s move to withdraw DDO power from GHSS principals is “anti-school administration” as it would strip the most effective tool that helps the school administrators. The government is said to have cited ‘minimising expenditures’ as one of the reasons for the withdrawal of the power of DDO as travel allowances are made for submitting the salary bills to the cashier at the directorate. But the Association officials are baffled as to why it was mandatory to submit the bills in person when very important papers like answer sheets of the HSLC examinations can be made via speed post and also when the central government is promoting digital payments. The officials also highlighted that some GHSS have been facing problems due to conflict between school administrators from secondary and higher secondary sections (principals and headmasters/headmistresses) as there is no proper staffing pattern for GHSS establishments. To this effect, they stated that the government issued a notification in 2016 wherein one of the clauses mentioned that headmasters and assistant headmasters from GHSS would not be posted upon the retirement or promotion of the incumbent, but recent promotions have shown otherwise. As per the association, the government has totally violated its own notification and posted officers- headmasters and assistant headmasters to all the GHSS even where the posts were vacant previously. With these recent developments, they observed that the current state of affairs in most of the GHSS is the absence of proper chain of command as a parallel head was placed in the schools. “We are not against any section of officers in the department but the sanctity of the school administration should be upheld by the government at least in the interest of smooth transaction of education especially in GHSS,” they stated, adding that what they were asking is for the government to provide conducive environment at school levels in the interest of the students and the society at large by implementing its own notification or work out a clear staffing pattern. On promotion of higher secondary officers, NGHSSEA officials, while appreciating the government for promoting hundreds of officers from the secondary section recently, asked that the government to apply the same yardstick to officers of the higher secondary section. Deputy District Education Officers (DDEOs) from higher secondary section in the rank of deputy director since promotion in 2012, found themselves in a stagnant position. They failed to understand why higher secondary section officers could not occupy the post of DEO or joint director even after fulfilling the required qualifying years and regularisation of promotion through Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC). It was informed that many officers while waiting for the government to address this issue, had retired without availing promotions through vacancy in higher post existing in the department. On incumbency list and post continuation, NGHSSEA expressed dismay that the government is yet to submit the said list to the AG since 2014. They maintained that the department should know its own employees as well the post creation orders and submit to the AG like other departments without the matter having to be pursued by its employees. On seniority list, the Association stated that since 2011, there has been no seniority list published by the government for officers of higher secondary cadre. They informed that the directorate had prepared a tentative list in August 2016 and submitted to the government, but the matter is still lying in the branch. While acknowledging that government notifications are clear on the norm on seniority fixation, they however said such “deliberate delay by some officers raises doubt about their intentions.