20-day exam duty must for all teachers: DIOS

BAREILLY: The district inspector of schools (DIOS) has issued a notice, asking teachers to undertake a minimum 20-day duty for the UP board examination scheduled to begin from February 19. He has warned that salary increment would be adversely affected if they fail to comply with the order.
According to reports, education officials are taking all possible measures to conduct fair board examinations at 124 centres in the district.They are facing a shortage of teachers as well as “non cooperation” by a section of them.
Against this backdrop, the DIOS has issued orders making it mandatory for teachers selected to be on duty at the examination centres.
On their part, members of a few “shikshak sanghs” have demanded that pending arrears be cleared before taking up examination duties. Several teachers had earlier alleged that they had not been paid their dues for performing examination duties for past few years. The matter was taken up by several examination coordinators during a recent joint meeting with district education officials and local administration on February 14.
Talking to TOI, DIOS Ashutosh Bhardwaj said, “It is an essential part of their responsibilities under which they have to undertake duty to conduct fair board examinations. There is no provision under which they can refuse to do examination duty. If they do, then they are liable to be punished under the Madhyamik Shiksha Adhiniyam, 1921.”
Bhardwaj termed baseless reports of discrepancies in payments and audits by a few schools. “A majority of them are trying to save themselves from board examination duties and we will take strict action against the offenders for not turning up at examination centres.”
It might be recalled that over one lakh students will take high school board examinations which are scheduled from February 19 and will end on March 11 while intermediate board examinations will conclude on March 23. Around 4,000 teachers will participate in the board examinations, said an education official.