Excelsior Correspondent
RAJOURI, Jan 14: Chief Education Officer Rajouri, Bishamber Dass, conducted surprise visit to Government Middle School (GMS) Mera in Zone Rajouri and GMS Chowkian in Zone Baljarralan and withheld the salaries of absentee teachers. He also sought explanations from erring staff for negligence and poor performance.
During the visit to GMS Mera, it was found that students were left at 1:00 pm without any valid reason, reflecting a lack of seriousness on the part of the school head and staff. Furthermore, the Mid-Day Meal (MDM) was not served as per the prescribed menu, highlighting gross negligence.
At GMS Chowkian in Zone Baljarralan, while the overall functioning of the school was satisfactory, the academic performance of students in the Urdu subject was alarmingly poor. It was also found that Urdu teacher Jannat Begum had left the school at 12 noon without prior permission or a leave application.
Taking strict action, CEO Rajouri withheld the salaries of the staff of GMS Mera and Jannat Begum of GMS Chowkian, till further orders.
Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) of Rajouri and Baljarralan were directed to seek written explanations from the erring officials and submit their reports within three days.
To address staffing inefficiencies, CEO Rajouri also directed ZEO Rajouri to rationalize the staff of GMS Mera as per Pupil-Teacher Ratio (PTR) norms.