Finally, govt targets teachers on long leave

LUDHIANA: The teachers on long leave would have to come back and resume their duty and those planning to act in same way would have to think twice before applying for the same. As the education department, finally waking up from a deep slumber, decided to issue warning letters to such teachers.
District education officer (Primary), Harbhajan Ram, said, "Yes, we got instructions from director general school education to prepare the list of teachers who have been absent from the past many years."
"We have found that 43 teachers in primary schools are on long leave.After issuing innumerable notices to six, we terminated their jobs as they did not turn up. Letters to the remaining teachers are being processed," he added.
Though the secondary education department were not ready to disclose the number of teachers on long leave, highly-placed officials in the department said nearly 35 teachers are on long leave and they might face the brunt by losing their jobs.
Meanwhile, expressing happiness with the decision, parents believe that it would not only be a blessing for students and would also help many unemployed youths and deserving to land jobs.
A father of Class IV student, Nachattar Singh, said, "The move was very much required as after getting a government job, people stop working and think that nobody can throw them out. But in this profession, the truant teachers play with the future of students."
Another parent, Balkar Singh, said, "If any person do not require the job, he should let others avail the opportunity and not play with the future of students."
To improve the education system in schools, several schemes like door-to-door survey and awareness rally to tell residents about the facilities being provided to students in government schools are being held.