Akshay Azad
Jammu, July 5: In total violation of Minimum Wages Act, the Jammu and Kashmir School Education department is likely to engage nearly 8475 teachers in various schools across the state, on academic arrangement.
Sources informed Early Times that under Minimum Wages Act, the State Government guarantees Rs 225, Rs 200, Rs 175 and Rs 150 per day for skilled, Accounts, semi-skilled and un-skilled workers respectively.
The 8475 teachers, who do not fall in workman category, would get meager Rs. 3000 as monthly remuneration likely to be engaged under academic arrangements for year 2014-15 across state.
The School Education Department is going to engage 8475 teachers for current academic arrangement including Srinagar -80, Ganderbal -30, Budgam -368, Pulwama -318, Anantnag -464, Kulgam -183, Shopian -138, Bandipora -138, Baramulla -910, Kupwara -331, Leh -22, Kargil -97, Jammu -1296, Samba -300, Kathua -770, Ramban -292, Kishtwar -248, Reasi -289, Udhampur -605, Doda -408, Poonch -395 and Rajouri -793. The engagement of teachers would cease to exist whenever the Service Selection Board would complete the process to engage permanent teachers.
The School Education department has asked the Chief Education Officers of all districts to engage teachers on temporary basis, on academic arrangements. Interestingly, the department has maintained that the student with higher qualification B.Ed, M.Ed would be given preference but would get only Rs. 100 per day.
"The State Government itself is a violator of its own laws. Being aware of the fact that there is large army of educated unemployed youth in Jammu and Kashmir, so the Government has been taking such decisions of paying meager amount to youth", Ramesh Kumar, a labour Union leader rued.
A senior officer in Labour office Jammu, pleading anonymity said that teachers didn't fall in workman category, so many agencies, including Government has been taking benefit of it.
"The issue has even reached to Supreme Court, which has taken strong exception of it but so far no judgment has come. By changing the nomenclature, departments have been taking benefit", he said. He further said that as the teachers didn't fall in workman category, the labour department could not take any action against any agency. |
