Hills are passé, summer break means US, Oz, Canada for govt school staff

Ludhiana: For govt school staff in Ludhiana, a summer vacation in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh is passé. Going by the number of teachers applying for ex-India leave, it is safe to say that foreign destinations are rising in popularity among govt school employees, especially destinations like Canada, USA and Australia.In all, 559 govt school staffers — master cadre teachers, lecturers, principals, and other officials in clerical posts — have applied for ex-India leave this summer vacation in the district. Of these, applications of 221 have been approved.Ludhiana district education officer (secondary) Harjinder Singh said it was compulsory for govt staffers to seek approval from the department before leaving their station. “Ex-India leaves are only issued during summer vacation and are being granted for travel from June 7, after the code of conducted ended. The number of applicants has risen from the previous years. We could not let them proceed on leave earlier due to elections,” he said.According to the education department officials, applications started pouring in from the beginning of the year and continued till the end of May. Most staffers, in their applications, mention they want to visit their children and family members abroad to spend time with them. Of the 221 approved applications, maximum are for Canada, said the official.He said the process had been completely centralised for the last four years and files were prepared at the district level, after which they were forwarded to the state education department, which is the final authority. At times, applications face rejection due to discrepancies and lack of required documents. Applicants reapply for leave with the required documents, the official said. For the remaining applications, the department rejected 332. Also, five applications were cancelled and one is pending.The duration of ex-India leave ranges from 30 to 60 days. Applicants also have to sign an undertaking that they will not prolong their stay and will join duty on the date mentioned in the application.A principal at a govt school in Ludhiana city, who has gone for ex-India leave, said the department approved such leave in genuine cases. “Both my children have completed their studies and work in Canada and Australia. As they are in the initial stages of their career, it will be hard for them to take a break and visit us. I visit them during summer break,” said the principal.