An Open letter to CM
OPEN LETTER
A teacher’s 'Fariyad' to Chief Minister
Kattal Brahamana,
Hiranagar, Kathua
(Jammu)
09-02-2012
Respected Sir,
As your great, kind, benevolence and generous personhood has recently shown grave concern over the
poor performance of school results. As a teacher, I would like to draw your attention through the medium of this ‘Fariyad’ towards the
sorry plight of teachers caused due to inhumane, non-cooperating and non promising behavior of educational officers at the district, zone and school
level. These are the very minor things which remain out of sight resulting into degradation of govt. owned schools in the long run. My narration is an
instance showing how teachers are harassed and compelled to adopt the unfair means while dealing with the problems faced by them. It is a fact that
all the teaching professionals can’t resist to the unnecessary delays practiced by some of the officers and subordinate negligent staff of
educational administration. As a result they fall pray to the ill intensions of these anti schooling and above all anti society elements and offer
bribe and get their work done. And one presumes all and everything good and satisfactory.
I have always tried, at my own level, to discourage
corrupts, corruption in any form in the course of my 22 years of service as teacher/master but at the same time facing difficulties, like many others,
too in the form of different modes of harassment by the concerned. These days I am acting tough against a headmaster, the drawing and disbursing
officer, whom Chief Education Officer Kathua has authorized to draw my salary for my deployment (temporary attachment without sanctioned post) period
from April 2010 to April 2011 against a vacant post of master cadre in Govt. High school Kund (Billawar). I would like to narrate the facts of recent
concern as under:-
CEO Kathua authorized headmaster Govt. High School Kund Tehsil Billawar to draw the salary w.e.f April 2010 to Aug. 2010
vide his No. CEOK/10410 dated 13-9-10 against a vacant post of master in the said school. Again CEO Kathua authorized him to draw the salary w.e.f
Sep. 2010 to Feb. 2011 vide his No. CEOK/24002 dated 01-03-2011. Once again, CEO authorized him to draw my salary w.e.f March 2011 to April 2011, vide
his letter No. CEOK/2000 dated 11-05-11. In this way he has been authorized by CEO Kathua to draw my thirteen month’s salary i.e. from April
2010 to April 2011.
I supplied the headmaster all the letters of CEO Kathua and codal formalities i.e. last pay certificate in original, NOC
of electricity department, copies of treasury receipts of challans showing GP Fund deduction and other savings to calculate and assess the income tax
for the year 2010-11 along with result statement for releasing annual increment and attendance certificates etc. duly counter signed by the competent
education officer to draw the salary.
Till today a pendency of four month (Jan. 2011 to Feb. 2011) is remaining at the disposal of
Headmaster Kund.
It is strange that both the headmaster and his office assistant did not care for my sincere request and assignment of CEO
Kathua, in a polite way to execute the mandatory duty to draw and clear my salary up to April 2011. Since, a span of long time has been passed leading
me to the position of mental, monetary and physical harassment in these days of economic depression.
It is only the headmaster and office
assistant who knows the official proceedings undertaken by their office to draw the salary arrears. I also in writing requested to CEO Kathua on
20-12-2011 but what would be the result, favourable or unfavorable? Before approaching CEO, I was informed by headmaster on a phone conversation that
there is insufficient allotment of funds from CEO Kathua whereas the office assistant on phone narrated that there was sufficient allotment sanctioned
by CEO Kathua but we (headmaster and office assistant) have utilized the maximum allotment to draw the salary/arrears of the staff of that very
school.
It is a matter of grave concern on the part of headmaster that when all the other drawing and disbursing officers, to whom CEO Kathua
authorized to draw the salary of other deployed masters (approximately 60-70) against vacant posts in their respective zones and schools, have cleared
the salary of deployed masters, then why headmaster is making unnecessary delay to draw the four month (Jan. 2011 to April 2011) salary since March
2011 notwithstanding all the codal formalities sent by me in due course of time through different suitable modes?
Sir, may I believe that all
other teachers have set a ‘compromise’ with DDOs concerned or at some other quarter? No, my conscious does not allow presuming everybody
in the department corrupt and negligent. Is it not a mandatory and departmental duty of headmaster Kund (Bilawar) to draw my salary arrears by asking
the competent authority to sanction sufficient funds? When I have fulfilled all the formalities required it is not morally and legally judicious to
exhort and compel me to unnecessarily move to the higher quarters of the department or to seek redress in competent court of law availing unnecessary
casual leaves from my present place of posting. Moreover I have met a considerable monetary loss as more than 100,000 have been held due to
carelessness of headmaster since the last payment of salary in March 2011.
In these circumstances, an interrogation mark can be chipped on the
work culture and transparency on the part of officials and officers of education department, leaving the exceptions. The education authorities, as you
are familiar with, must be friend, philosopher and guide to their subordinates, particularly the teachers working under them, but it is a matter of
grave concern that a majority of education officers at school, zone and at district level are calling attention of aware citizens for their mean
attitude towards the teaching community. Their rude, negative and non cooperating behavior is making the educational administration a corrupt sector,
where lack of transparency can be noted in the event of dealing with the day to day issues of teaching community.
Sir, this is a case of forced
corruption i.e. to force someone categorically till he succumbs to the delays this or that way. This practice is not fruitful for the govt. run
schools; rather this will also leads to lowest level results and forcing the ‘Nation Builders’ to adopt destructive culture of bribery.
Such practice of forced corruption is ruining the capacity of teachers. If the educational officers will show the immorality then how can they
motivate the teachers to inculcate moral virtues in the minds of students?
No doubt, the teachers should perform their duty but at the same time
the interrogative and suspicious gestures of some education officers are giving a setback to the govt. owned schools. Sir, there is a need to heel the
teachers in Jammu & Kashmir. In this regard Mrs. Indira Gandhi has rightly said, “The nation’s well being depends on teacher’s well
being. Our teachers are the custodians of our future. We talk of honoring and cherishing teachers, but do our actions match our words? We have no
right to hold teachers alone to a vow of self sacrifice.”
Sir, you are bestowed with the qualities of broad mindedness having soft head and
heart virtues inculcated in your mind for the people of all walks of life, in any part of state, right from Baba-e-Kaom, the great soul and Maseeha
Jenab Sheikh Mohammad Abdulah, also Known as sympathizer of the teachers and schools.
Thanks.
Yours truly,
Kewal Krishan master
At
Govt. High School Sherpur (Hiranagar)
Dist: Kathua (Jammu)
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