Why not have Indian School Education Services / State Education Services like we have Indian Forest Service ?
DAYA SAGAR
Government School are if made to deliver the supposedly delegated teaching services many parents would be relieved of un necessary additional expenditure atleast on the school education of their children thereby freeing them of the need to compromise on some of their social and public responsibilities.
Some people ask why do all government servants are not made to send their children to government schools where the teachers are better qualified and are paid ( a Jr School Teacher of scale 25500- 81100 may be getting on date around Rs.40908/ ( including DA 34% wef 01012022) plus Child Education allowance plus Child Hostel subsidy Allowance )much better than most of the private school teachers? Some people ask when a Director School Education / a Commissioner Secretary School Education does not send his /her children to Government School / a Head Master of a Government school does not recommend his school to his family/ friends/ and a Deputy Commissioner does not send his/her ward to a government school then why should other government employees be forced to send their children to government schools ? Some say that in case the government officers / Senior officers feel it below dignity / status to send their children to government schools they why are they paid dearness allowance, they are not they ‘rich’ people ?
And above all even many labourers are found compromising with their basic needs while looking for some private academy / private tuition for their child even when they have a government school nearby with more qualified teachers.
In earlier days the government employee segment was one segment that used to get disturbed when the cost of living used to increase. But these days it appears that the government employees, though they at occasion do make some demands like that for a new pay commissions, are not that much under pressing economic pressures since they are covered by regular pay commissions after every 10 yrs, allowances like DA ( 8600-8700 @34% presently for jr school teacher ) , HRA (4000-4100 Jr school teacher , Child Education Allowance ( presently Rs.2250 to 4500/pm), Child Hostel Subsidy allowance ( Rs.6750 to Rs.13500/pm), Transport allowance ( may be around Rs.2300-2400 Jr school teacher ). So strangely when government spends so much money on government schools still government employees are paid Child education allowance of Rs.2250 per child per pm upto 2 children ? Employees of education department too are paid these allowances. What justification the government has ?
Allahabad ( now Prayagraj ) bench of UP High Court had in 2015 (Judgement Court 34 of Hon’ble Sudhir Agarwal, J. Delivered on 18.08.2015 ) had directed the Chief Secretary UP Government at para 90 ” to take appropriate action in the matter in consultation with other Officials, responsible in this regard to ensure that the children/wards of Government servants, semi-Government servants, local bodies, representatives of people, judiciary and all such persons who receive any perk, benefit or salary etc. from State exchequer or public fund, send their child/children/wards who are in age of receiving primary education, to Primary Schools run by Board. He shall also ensure to make penal provisions for those who violate this condition; for example, if a child is sent to a Primary School not maintained by Board, the amount of fee etc. paid in such privately managed Primary School, an equal amount shall be deposited in the Government funds, every month, so long as such education in other kind of Primary School is continued. is amount collected can be utilised for betterment of schools of Board. Besides, such person, if in service, should also be made to suffer other benefits like increment, promotional avenues for certain period, as the case may be. This is only illustrative. The appropriate provisions can be made by Government so as to ensure that ward(s)/child/children of persons, as detailed above, are compelled necessarily to receive primary education in the Primary Schools run by Board. And at Para -91 With regard to directions contained in Para 90, effective steps shall be taken by Chief Secretary within six months so as to make the aforesaid directions effective from the next academic session of Primary Schools, and, a compliance report shall be submitted to this Court by way of affidavit immediately after expiry of period of six months.”It was reported by PTI in Oct 2018 that a plea was also filed by advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi before Apex Court challenging the Allahabad High Court’s order refusing to initiate contempt proceedings against the state government for not complying with the earlier judgment that had directed that kids of government servants, local bodies’ representatives, judicial officers, who receive perks and salary from the state exchequer, should study in schools run by the Uttar Pradesh Board the present status of that could not be retrieved at the time of writing this story. Anyhow surely the order of 2015 has not been implemented in letter and spirit till date.
But no proportionate action worth relief to common man and saving people of the expenditure they unnecessarily make on sending children to private schools appears to have been taken by UP Government what to talk of other State Government / Centre government.
In case no one prefers to send child to a government school then why should government pay so much to government teachers? In case majority of the government schools do not carry the faith of the common man ( even government teachers) as regards the education of one’s children then why question thousands of school teachers, why not question only the Director School Education / Commissioner Education who are responsible for supervision/ administration ?
In case Directors/ Commissioners presently come from different services why not have Indian School Education Services / State Education Services like we have Indian Forest Service.
(The author is Sr Journalist, social activist and analyst J&K affairs dayasagr45@yahoo.com).