Gadchiroli July 23 (District Correspondent) Sanvidhan Foundation has demanded early withdrawal of the government decision to hire the retired teachers to teach in schools on honorarium basis.
Mr. Gautam Meshram, District Convenor of the Foundation has said in a statement issued here today that the decision is not only unfair to unemployed youths but there is a big question mark on the quality of education.
Since the government has not filled the posts of regular teachers in schools for many years, a backlog of lakhs of vacant posts has been created. In the directive principle of the Constitution of India, education is a basic need of a human being and all children in the age group of 6 to 14 years should be given free, compulsory and quality primary education. It has also been directed that a law should be enacted for this. However, the government did not implement this law for 59 years. The central government finally passed the Free and Compulsory Education Act in 2009.
According to Right to Education 2009 (RTE), no more than 10% of the total approved number of posts can be left vacant in any school. Despite this, today the status of schools across the state and all over the country is that in some places up to 90 percent posts are vaccant. Not only teachers, but many posts of centre heads, extension officers, block education officers, education officers are also vacant, Meshram has pointed out.
There are very few teachers in schools, and they have to perform many other non-academic tasks than actual teaching. Central government retires officers after 60 years and state government after 58 years as they are considered to be no longer able to work. So how can the government think that the retired teachers are able to teach in the schools efficiently, Meshram has asked.
Moreover, many graduates and post graduates like B.Ed, M.Ed and even doctorates youths are lying unemployed in the society, why can’t the government think about giving them jobs, he has further asked.
The government should therefore withdraw the imprudent decision of hiring retired teachers in school with immediate effect, Meshram has demanded. He has also requested the the retired teachers that they should not apply for such jobs and give an opportunity to the unemployed youths to get jobs.
