Govt-aided teachers urge proper implementation in deployment

CHENNAI: Urging for proper methods while deploying excess government-aided school teachers in other schools, the members of the TN government-aided school and staff welfare association (TNGSSWA) had written a letter to the directorate of high schools recently.

The education department has recently issued a circular directing all excess teachers from government-aided schools to be posted in aided schools with vacancies. However, this resulted in teachers opposing and alleging that the deployment is not done fairly.

J Wesleyprabhu, State president of TNGSSWA and headmaster of Thiruvannamalai aided school said, “Though the direction to deploy teachers is done to fill vacancies in all districts, the implementation is vastly inefficient. There are cases of several teachers who are unable to join the new deployed schools as the vacancies have been already filled up.”

Explaining further, Wesleyprabhu pointed out that though it is not as per the government order, there are several government-aided schools that fill up vacancies on their own, without consulting with the department. Resulting in the deployed teacher left with no job.

“Due to this, the deployed teachers cannot work at the old schools or join in the deployed school,” he added.

Meanwhile, another teacher said that if the issue is raised with district officers or the Chief Education officers, they claim they have no capacity to intervene. Additionally, the teachers have also alleged that during the deployment, the senior faculties are moved instead of the junior ones. This, they say, will affect their professional growth.

Notice to Centre, State on free quarters for teachers

The Madras High Court on Thursday directed the Union and State government to respond to a petition seeking to make it mandatory to build rent-free residential quarters for teachers working in all schools and colleges in Tamil Nadu. Hearing a Public Interest Litigation plea filed by advocate M Purushothaman, the summer vacation division bench comprising Justices CV Karthikeyan and Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy directed both governments to file a counter affidavit to the petition within four weeks. During the course of the hearing, the State government submitted that the petition is not suitable for the trial and if this petition is accepted, it would send a wrong signal. According to the petitioner, the private schools that charge high fees to students are not using them for the benefit of teachers. “Apart from paying less to teachers, the schools use the fees collected from students for various other purposes. Private school teachers are being exploited by the management. Corporates would do better by providing better education at an affordable cost if the government opens up education as a purely commercial venture. Therefore, the Union and State governments should be ordered to make it mandatory to build rent-free residential quarters for teachers and a provision of interest-free loans to the teachers for construction of residential houses,” the petitioner stated.