The recent decision- the conversion of all the categories of the teachers into general line teachers- taken by the State Accountability Commission, headed by the honourable governor of the state, is flawed and fraught with errors in many ways. The conversion of all the categories of the teachers into general line teachers without any set criteria is faulty and in the first place, let us not forget, it was the state government which had implemented the SSA scheme in a wrong way and perhaps did not keep into mind the number and score we needed to supplement the teaching manpower in our schools.
Not only this, the conversion of SSA teachers into Ret’s and then mixing RMSA with it too seemed to be the decision as if taken by some absurd calculation. First of all, we need to understand the difference between a teacher recruited by JKSSB and the one recruited by the concerned ZEO or CEO. A teacher who is recruited by JKSSB has to compete with all the other aspirants of his or her district and only then he or she is through. But it may not be palatable to many that SSA teachers had to compete just with the people who resided in their Mohallas and majority among them were just Intermediate Pass who later on acquired the degree of Bachelors, Masters and B.Ed. through distance mode. They, therefore, first got a job and later became eligible for it (keeping in view the present eligibility criteria).
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Although, there are exceptions wherein you will find highly qualified youth serving as SSA teachers but on the contrary it is very rare that a general line teacher gets selected on intermediate base until he belongs to some category like ALC, ST etc. So, how is this justified to weigh both of them in the same balance? Although it is not out of place to mention here that grave injustices were meted out by SSA teachers when it came to their salaries but at the same time, they well knew that they are not at par with the ones serving as GLT’s. so, the demand of getting all what their counterparts are getting is not justified at all. Also, they were recruited at Mohalla or Village levels so that they could ever serve the children of their own areas who otherwise were deprived of these amenities. In this regard, their demand of enclosure in the transfer policy meant for GLT’s is again surprising. Though, there is no harm if they are transferred within their zones.
This is one side of the tale. Now, let’s talk about the repercussions of this decision. Education is the biggest sector of the state which provides bumper jobs when it does and the transparency is out of suspicion or at least the least. Now this decision though unwittingly has well succeeded in axing the aspirations of many youth who have completed their master’s degree coupled with B.Ed. and other teacher training courses as it will shrink or say completely cease the job opportunity for at least a decade.
Further, the promotion of these teachers as lecturers without the set criteria will prove disastrous. While as an aspirant aiming at becoming a lecturer has to burn his midnight oil in order to clear PSC, these teachers will get the benefit without sitting on the tenterhooks and that is the worst part of it. Keeping all these things into consideration, Govt. must review the decision keeping in mind the aspirations of the youth who would otherwise be over-aged after a decade. Also, an enquiry against the people who wrongly implemented the central govt. schemes in order to satiate their political needs from time to time must be initiated. Let’s not weigh all in one balance. let justice prevail. Let no one be victimized and let no one be denied his genuine right. Our education sector is ailing and the recent survey reports are shocking too. Let’s join the hands to inject a new life in our education sector. Let’s shun the differences and realize that “RIPENESS IS ALL”.
(The author is a former teacher and presently serves as a banking associate in Jammu and Kashmir Bank BU Choora).
