Durga Dass Rami, Ghagwalia
Any time, as and when there are transfers in the Education department (may it be of Teachers, Masters, Head masters, Lecturers or even Principals of Government Schools), we see that all the employees, particularly females are uneasy and uncomfortable to join the new places of postings (barring few of them who are posted near or around their homes).
After the issuance of transfer orders, so many these employees, particularly females, instead of attending to their duties in schools for teaching the students, rather remain visiting the offices of Director, Chief Education Officers and also the offices/residences of area MLAs; MLCs or even Sarpanches to mediate for modification of their transfer orders. Not only this even some of our (female) employees are generally exploited and trapped by some touts/agents who extract lot of money from them by alluring, “I do not give guarantee but shall try for your suitable adjustment. Meet me later on. Etc.etc.”
In this process ( barring few genuine cases ) every time they tailor and manipulate lot of grounds in their representations viz. family ground i.e. small children at home; old and sick parents or parents-in-law at home to be looked after by them. Above all the health ground comes commonly to their rescue as they procure the certificates medically advised not to go out of home town by traveling or even on foot. And also in maximum cases they are also (mis) guided by legal fraternity to file writ petitions against the transfers even if there is no ground or no genuineness.
These employees in this process do not join the new places of postings for months or even years together either waiting for the modification of their transfer orders or remain on long medical leave on one pretext or the other, though duly authenticated by the medical certificates. But the bad consequence is the direct educational loss to the students’ community who remain un-attended for a long time for lack of teaching staff besides the financial loss to the government exchequer as they get their salary even by not attending to their duties by producing medical certificates or other duty slips, though surely spending some money for procuring all this.
In this backdrop, the modification of transfer orders of some teachers every time will not be a permanent solution, rather one time, once for all, the modification of “transfer policy” itself can be a permanent solution to this serious problem.
Now, our new Ministry can evolve a new method of transfers of these employees in Education department, definitely considering the genuine and common problems of teachers, particularly the female teachers/employees and also keeping in view the larger interest of students’ community and public exchequer.
So in this behalf, besides what our new Education Minister evolves the policy, some practicable suggestions are enumerated as under:-
The employees/teachers who are posted in rural areas/villages i.e. out of cities, be given special allowance under the head “Rural Area/Village Allowance” and that too, double or three times more than “City Compensatory Allowance” so that maximum teachers may opt for rural area/village postings on this incentive also. Otherwise, in the present set up, it is otherwise, that is, in cities there is CCA but in village postings, there is no such allowance.
Next, the policy of HRA be also reviewed. The employees posted in rural areas/villages be also given same House Rent Allowance (HRA) i.e. equal to their counter parts posted in cities, as otherwise at present, to employees of rural areas/villages there is less HRA and this is also the main reason, tendency and psychology of general employees to opt for City Postings to fetch more and more HRA besides City Compensatory allowances.
After all, unless there is parity in salaries and allowances, our teachers/employees shall remain particular for their postings only in the cities to earn more and more allowances and shall never go for rural postings which are with fewer allowances.
Last but not least, medical allowance, which is of course same to all employees, be also reviewed for rural areas/villages employees to give them comparatively slightly higher to give incentive to employees to opt for rural areas/village postings. Thus, higher Medical Allowance in rural areas/villages.
Therefore, when there shall be special “Rural Area/Village Compensatory Allowance”, secondly; increase or at least equal HRA for Rural Area/village postings and finally increase in Medical Allowance for rural/village postings, there shall be sea change in the mind set of our employees and there shall be flood of applicants for opting for serving in rural areas/villages and automatically in the cities the rush shall be decrease and the schools of rural areas/villages shall be served properly by this staff. Rest, our new Education Ministry headed by present Education Minister is expected to do more and more to see that neither its teaching staff nor the student community suffers.
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