The Bulandshahr district education department has initiated action against around 150 school staff members from primary and upper primary schools following a recent inspection that uncovered neglect in maintenance across several schools. The inspection, conducted as part of preparations for setting up polling booths, revealed alarming conditions in many schools, including unattended premises and signs of neglect such as lack of proper paint or repair work.
Each government school receives funds in the form of a composite grant specifically allocated for maintenance purposes. These funds, ranging from Rs 12,000 to Rs 50,000, and in some cases up to Rs 1 lakh, are intended to cover expenses related to maintenance, including paint, repair work, and other essential requirements. However, a substantial portion of these funds was found to be unutilized.
Laxmikant Pandey, basic education officer (BSA) in Bulandshahr, stated that a grace period of one week has been granted to the concerned staff members to rectify the situation. During this time, their salaries will be withheld. If the issues are not addressed and the allocated funds are not utilized within the stipulated time frame, further actions will be taken. This includes the deduction of salaries for head teachers and school in-charges for one month to enforce accountability and ensure proper fund utilization.
This incident comes in the wake of similar actions taken by the Bihar Education Department, which withheld salaries of 12,987 school teachers in December last year due to their absences from work over a six-month inspection period. Additionally, the department suspended 39 individuals for various violations in teaching and Bihar School Teachers’ Recruitment regulations.
In other news related to education recruitment, the Allahabad High Court has declined to extend the advantage of reservation under the EWS category for the hiring of 69,000 assistant teachers in 2020. The court cited that the recruitment process began prior to the passage of the statute, dismissing several writ petitions brought by Shivam Pandey and others.
