Srinagar- In a sorry state of affairs, over 40 teachers from North Kashmir’s Kupwara district have managed to get posted in the twin districts of Srinagar and Budgam, leaving thousands of students in distress.
According to the data provided by the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kupwara, over 33 Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) and RReT teachers from Kupwara are currently attached to Srinagar and Budgam districts, besides eight general line teachers.
This information has been provided by CEO Kupwara in response to an Right to Information Application (RTI) filed by activist Shahid-ul- Islam Wani.
The RTI reply further reveals that the teachers refuse to join their original place of posting despite expiry of their deployment validity.
Wani told Kashmir Observer that the students of the frontier district face a lot of problems as The ReTs were appointed through Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme—a government of India’s flagship programme for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE) in a time bound manner, as mandated by 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free and compulsory Education to the Children of 6-14 years age group, a Fundamental Right.
The programme seeks to open new schools in those habitations which do not have schooling facilities and strengthen existing school infrastructure through provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants.
Existing schools with inadequate teacher strength are provided with additional teachers, while the capacity of existing teachers is being strengthened by extensive training, grants for developing teaching-learning materials and strengthening of the academic support structure at a cluster, block and district level.
Wani, however, told Kashmir Observer that when the teachers who were meant to serve in their own localities were dispatched to other districts for their own benefits, the students from the remote area will have to suffer.
“This attachment of ReT/RReT teachers undermines the very essence of this scheme. I would like to ask why Srinagar and Budgam districts were chosen for this attachment, and whose relatives are these 33 and 8 teachers?” said Shakir Parray, a student-activist from Kupwara.
He further said that “who will be responsible for teaching underprivileged students in Kupwara if these teachers are attached in Budgam and Srinagar?”
Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK), Tasaduq Hussain Mir did not receive repeated phone calls from this newspaper.
However, CEO, Kupwara Abdul Hamid Fanie told Kashmir Observer that there is no shortage of teachers in the district and that some teachers might have been deployed in other districts on valid orders.
“The order of deployment comes from higher authorities. Many of them have been deployed on security grounds. This happens in every district” Fanie said.
He further explained that they still have taken-up the matter with higher authorities.
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