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| Naeem's first day in office starts with controversy | | Edu Minister does it again! | | Hyder Ali
Early times Report
SRINAGAR, Apr 5: PDP leader Naeem Akhter's second innings as Education Minister has started on a controversial note like his previous tenure. This time the teachers fraternity in Kashmir has locked horns with the Directorate of School Education Kashmir (DSEK) against its "controversial" ban on fund raising by their unions.
Exactly on the day when Naeem took oath as the Minister, the DSEK back home decided to initiate strict action against any fund raising for unions, including the influential J&K Teachers Forum, which is a "non-registered organization." The action is likely to include registration of police FIRs against the Education Department staffers.
Sources said initially a top official in the DSEK was apprehensive whether or not Naeem would be in the Council of Ministers and thus the decision was not being taken over the issuance of the orders. "But the moment he was sworn as the Minister, the DSEK officials started getting feelers that he would retain the Education portfolio. And this was when the office instantly issued formal orders to ban any fund raising by teachers forum," said an insider asking not to be identified.
The DSEK, in its orders issued on April 4, a copy of which lies with Early Times, stated that "some unregistered employees' unions" were raising funds without giving receipt or maintaining accounts and forcing employees to pay the money.
In its orders, the DSEK said "It has come to our notice that some unregistered employee unions are again raising funds without giving receipt or maintaining accounts and employees are being forced to pay the money. Now, therefore, it is hereby enjoined upon all employees of the Education Department from Kashmir Division that no forced contributions to any unregistered employee union shall be made."
"Further all such members of the department who are collecting money under the garb of running unregistered/unaudited employee unions that criminal proceedings against them shall be initiated if they are found to be indulging in financial indiscipline of employee funds in violation of employee conduct rules," the order adds.
Naeem's personal association with the DSEK top brass since last year is nothing new. As the popular joke in the Education Department goes, last year, when Naeem was the Minister, the DSEK officials would almost project it as his "personal fiefdom."
"Instead of terming it a Government department, the officials said it is Naeem Akhter's department," admitted a senior official.
The Employees Joint Action Committee has taken a serious note of the DSEK directives. Senior EJAC member and head of the Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Forum, Qayoom Wani accused the Government of being biased and having "one point agenda to crush teachers' forum."
"It is their conspiracy to weaken this organization. Their every action is malafide. This is intolerable and we will fight it tooth and nail. It seems that the Government is hell bent to make us take to streets again," Wani told Early Times.
"This is a voluntary fund and there's no compulsion, why does the Government want to suppress the genuine voice and rights of the Government employees?" the union leader asked, adding that the "first day of the innings has started on controversial note."
Despite repeated attempts Naeem Akhter could not be contacted for comments. |
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