EDUCATION

No posts, but teachers get jobs nevertheless
Our Correspondent

Meerut, September 13
At least 35 teachers have been given jobs without there being any vacant post of teacher in schools of the Church City School Society. The Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) even ratified the posts of the 35 teachers. The 35 teachers have been drawing salary from the government exchequer for years.

Officials of the District Primary Education Department got wind of the matter when it was raised by the former Chairman of the UP Legislative Council, Mr Om Prakash Sharma, about irregularities in the Church City schools. The ex-Chairman has sought an answer from the government. And now the state government has sought a detailed report of the corruption and the irregularities in the junior high schools of the Church City School Society from the District Primary Education Department.

The society has three schools in the city. A primary school in Thatherwara and two junior high schools in Anderkot and the Sadar area. According to some sources in the BSA office, Church City schools got recognition in 1924 and government aid was given to them in 1926. But the schools became a part of the series of dead schools in 1968. In 1988 the schools were given a fresh lease of life by the government, which resumed aid to them. The diocese of Agra looks after the management of the schools. Now there are 16 teachers in the Thatherwara school in which 11 teachers have been working without there being any post of teacher. Three teachers are not even trained for teaching. In the same way, there are 17 teachers in the Anderkot Junior High School of Church City in which 13 teachers are working and drawing salary from the government. In the Sadar Church City Junior High School 11 teachers out of 16 have been working for years without any government sanction. The Basic Shiksha Adhikari of Meerut even ratified the posts without creating any post. The BSA in his report has named the then BSA for the irregularities. A clerk of the Church City School, A.K. Zafri, has been issued a receipt for Rs 99,119 and made a request to the District Magistrate, Mr Rana Raman, to this effect. The department has charged that Mr Zafri must have retired on December 31, 1997, but he received salary up to October 31, 1999. The two groups are claiming to be the real manager of the Church City schools. The issue is sub judice now as the High Court of Allahabad is entertaining the suit regarding the management. The BSA of Meerut has sent a detailed report to the government in Lucknow about the matter. The society is also facing several other inquiries with regard to corruption.

CAMPUS SCENE
JNUSU joins clamour against ‘saffronisation’
Sanjog Gupta

New Delhi, September 13
The campaign against saffronisation of education is far from over. The latest to voice concern over the deliberate institutional saffronisation of education is the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU), which believes that the 10th Plan - drawn up under furtive circumstances – is only an attempt to please the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The JNUSU has organised a major demonstration outside the JNU Administrative Bloc, which commenced yesterday with a mass hunger strike. Thirtysix students participated in the hunger strike and shouted slogans against the Vice-Chancellor’s plans of ‘saffronising education’. The demonstration continued today with nine students braving the cold rainy weather without food. The major issue of contention is the 10th Plan, which has been drawn with certain UGC recommendations in mind. The main proposals of the 10th plan, which have drawn flak from the students are the institutionalisation of a Centre for Human Consciousness and the inception of short-term self-financing professional courses.

The UGC had recommended the commencement of courses in human consciousness and yogic Sciences last October but the ambiguity surrounding the course content prompted the JNU Academic Council to reject the proposal. According to information provided to the Academic Council, the course includes hypnotism and psychedelic learning. Albina Shakil, President, JNUSU, said, “The mystery remains about what the course includes and why would anyone want to enrol in it?”

Further, the Academic Council had also rejected the concept of short-term courses after an unsuccessful attempt at conducting an IT course, which tarnished the reputation of JNU and its faculty. In spite of these past events, the 10th Plan includes proposals promoting the inculcation of both concepts.

With the JNU teaching community extending support to the cause brought forth by the JNUSU, the protest has received a shot in the arm. Albina Shakil said, “The teachers do not want to be in an embarrassing position by teaching these courses.”

In developments that took place late evening, the Vice-Chancellor agreed to negotiate with the office-bearers of the JNUSU and was involved in a meeting with them to deliberate a logical end to the protest.