Team Herald

PANJIM: The Goa School Managements’ Association (GSMA) on Wednesday rued the delay in sanctioning teachers in schools and alleged that for the first time they are asked to approach the education minister.

Only preferred management close to the powers that be are allowed to fill posts, they alleged

GSMA member Suhas Sardesai warned that if the government fails to fulfil their demands, then the Association will come on the streets to seek them.

Addressing a press conference, GSMA action committee convenor Prashant Naik said that it is for the first time in the history of Directorate of Education, the managements are asked to go to the education minister to create or fill vacant posts.

He complained that approvals are not given to managements to fill posts on contract basis for three years which was detrimental for schools while, certain preferred managements are given permissions to fill posts on regular basis. Of the over 450 high schools, the government had cleared some posts for ‘preferred managements’.

According to Naik, “Wherever a teacher retires and post falls vacant, the school management writes to the Directorate of Education, who used to grant permanent posts. But now we are told to go to the Education Minister. Also we are given permission to fill posts on contract basis for a period of three years. Earlier, we used to write to the department and within a month we used to get permission to fill the vacancy.”

Naik said, “In Gaondongorim village in Canacona taluka where 95 per cent of students belong to Other Backward Classes (OBC), they are given teachers on contract basis. Being on contract, these teachers are not concentrating fully and are looking for permanent posts. It is the biggest loss to the students.”

Naik demanded that the Directorate of Education should clear all the NOCs before the commencement of the academic year in the larger interest of the students and also for effective functioning of the schools.

Another GSMA action committee convenor and former principal Pandurang Nadkarni said that the norms for the calculation of the teaching posts are well defined under Rule 80 of Goa School Education Rules, 1986. However, with one or the other reason, these norms are not at all followed by the Directorate and thereby it becomes very difficult to appoint the staff as per the teaching workload.

Principal Nadkarni also demanded enhancement in funding under the School Complex and Super School Complex Scheme since there was no revision in the funding for the last almost 20 years.

The GSMA urged the government to refrain from stopping the Bal Rath services for schools. It was almost six months that the instalment of the grant was not released thereby causing financial inconveniences to the management as well as the staff of the buses. It is essential that the grant should be released half yearly by April and September every year.

Potholes on Siolim-Sodiem-Cunchelim road filled