The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Officials' attitude irks Dharam Singh

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Sep 12, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Officials' attitude irks Dharam Singh

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, SEPT. 11. The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, on Saturday expressed serious unhappiness at "top Education Department officials not bringing to me problems faced by schoolteachers of aided institutions."

Inaugurating the conference of Bangalore District Aided Schools Teachers Association at the Town Hall here, the Chief Minister said it was a matter of serious concern that the department had not brought to his notice grievances of teachers such as lack of job security and salaries not being paid according to grant-in-aid stipulations.

Pay commission

"I will ask the officials on Monday about this serious lapse. A committee will be formed soon to look into all your problems and find a speedy solution,'' he promised. The fifth pay commission is expected to provide for revision of pay scales for teachers too, he said.

The Government would also re-examine the transfer policy about teachers in the light of many rural schools not having sufficient number of teachers, the Chief Minister said.

Unions

On their part, he asked the teachers to avoid having too many unions.

"If you can present your problems and demands unitedly, it will be easier for the Government to act on them. This Government means business as we have shown by implementing the common minimum programme without delay.''

Allocation

The Budget allocation for education had also been considerably enhanced.

The teachers other problems would be placed before the next meeting of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister said.

The MLC, Puttanna, earlier referred to what he termed "all prevalent corruption in the Education Department at all levels. Even to get their salaries on time the teachers have to please the officials."

The former Mayor, C.M. Nagaraj, who is the honorary president of the association, said the time had come for the Government to implement the long repeated assurance that teachers in aided schools would be treated on a par with those in government schools.

Despite the craze for English medium education, which encouraged private schools that did not even have basic amenities, aided schools bravely went on teaching in Kannada, he pointed out.

V. Somanna and N.L. Narendra Babu, MLAs, referred to the need to prevent aided schoolteachers from being retrenched under any circumstances before they reached the retirement age.

If necessary they could be deputed to government schools, they said.

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