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| Cornered, Edu Deptt wages 'proxy war' against adversaries | | Uses teachers as 'cannon fodder' to settle personal scores | |
Hyder Ali
Early Times Report
Srinagar, May 6: With no let up in complaints of favoritism in Education department, its officials have started a "proxy war" against the adversaries while the school teachers are being allegedly used as cannon fodder to settle personal scores.
As of now, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon is in the line of fire, for his recent statement pertaining to miserable plight of government schools. In response, a school headmaster formally took him head on, albeit in the "absence of any logical argument to defend the school" where most of the staff is believed to be from influential families.
The "proxy war" has emerged at a time when Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is "personally monitoring complaints of favoritism" in the department while any further expose could set the heads rolling.
On May 4, the Divisional Commissioner while addressing a function at DPS Athwajan exposed the dirty underbelly of the education department exactly at a time when a minister and his loyalists in the department are struggling to prove their integrity, which is marred by controversies, one after another.
Samoon on Wednesday said many government teachers "enjoy clout in the Education Department and secure choicest postings. "The government schools are flooded with influential employees including teachers who are mostly the relatives of bureaucrats and politicians. They have created such a strong lobby that even Education minister and Director Education are helpless before them. All these teachers manage postings as per their wish and desire," Samoon said.
Citing example of a government school at Hyderpora, he said "60 teachers are employed for only 50 students".
"There are many such government schools existing even today where teachers are busy with knitting and stitching. I think they are more interested in handicraft than teaching. I suggest handicraft department should run some projects in those schools; they would be popular," Samoon had said in sarcastic tone.
Sources said as the news reached the corridors of power, who are scrutinizing the working of education department, a minister mobilized his loyalist to counter Samoon's claims.
The minister, as per sources, is understood to have "expressed displeasure" over Samoon's statement and would allegedly vouch for his transfer. On the other hand, minister's loyalists in education department took it as a "golden chance to equally settle personal scores" with the top official in the divisional administration.
Sources said this "grudge" against Samoon dates back to last year. While chairing a meeting of senior officials, Samoon had "brotherly advised" some officials of education department to behave like "officials and not yes ministers".
Sources said the conversation leaked to the minister, who was since trying to settle scores with the Divisional Commissioner. This time finding Samoon calling a spade a spade, the minister and his loyalists reacted strategically.
Sources said the top brass in the education department asked the headmaster of Hyderpora school to formally react but "without genuine argument".
Shahzada Shah, the Headmaster, Government Girls High School Hyderpora while reacting to divisional commissioner's statement said it is "extremely unfortunate" that the school has been presented in such a bad light, when the teachers are doing all out efforts to bring a turn-around in the education sector. She said enrollment of students stands at 202 students and not 50.
"Fact of the matter is that three schools namely GHS Hyderpora, BHS Hyderpora, and GHS Barzalla were merged last year and located in GHS Hyderpora due to which the collective staff strength of the school rose to 46 but at the same time due to hard work of teachers there was a dramatic rise in enrolment which presently stands at 202 students," the Headmaster said.
While the Headmaster tried to project it as "dramatic rise" in enrollment, observers said it was actually a simple case of addition of numbers. "When three schools merge the enrollment will obviously grow, so what's dramatic about it?" questioned a school teacher, asking not to be named.
Though Samoon didn't complain of teachers being busy with knitting at Hyder Pora school, the headmaster spoke beyond her domain. She said the "belittling comment" that teachers are "busy in knitting sweaters" is not only unjust but demeaning as well, as it is the same school where CM's Super 50 coaching was born.
"It's the same school which became the epicenter of a new movement in education that saw 45 selections in IIT/JEE and 5 in AMU recently," she said.
Educationists have questioned her argument on Super-50 pleading that not the teachers of Hyder Pora school but that staff of higher secondary schools and colleges was roped in for the special training. "Moreover the training was exclusively imparted to the best 50 students whereas thousands of normal students were deprived of his opportunity, so where lies the achievement for the Hyder Pora school in particular?" questioned an educationist.
A delegation of teachers said actually the Hyder Pora school is safe heaven for influential teachers. "Majority of teachers at this school are influential who survive on political patronage so that principal had no options but to keep the masters happy," the sources said.
Insiders said the reaction from school had come at a time when the department otherwise allows the teachers forum to speak for their rights. "At a time when Jammu and Kashmir Teachers Forum has been gagged, how come was this teacher allowed to speak that too against the divisional administration," asked a delegation of teachers.
Despite repeated attempts the school principal could not be contacted for comments. When contacted CEO Srinagar, Arif Iqbal refuted the headmaster was made to issue the statement. "If someone had given false information, reaction was a must to give the true picture," the CEO told Early Times. |
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