Government Primary School teachers staged a demonstration at Tipu Sultan gardens near the office of Deputy Commissioner here on Monday, demanding resumption of promotion process.
They raised slogans against the Deputy Director of Public Instruction (DDPI) alleging him of unnecessarily halting the process of promoting eligible primary school teachers to high school teachers for the last three years.
“During the promotion process in 2011-12, it was found that there were 17 teachers who had gone on long leave for studying B.Ed course, but continued to receive salaries for all the 10 months even though they were on long leave on loss-of-pay terms. As per the direction of Director, Department of Public Instruction, the then DDPI Parameshwarappa, excluded these teachers from the list of teachers eligible for promotion. These teachers later returned the salaries they received during the months that they were studying B.Ed course and demanded to consider them for promotion. The DDPI then stopped the very promotion process itself. Hundreds of other teachers who are eligible to get promotion are suffering for no faults of theirs,” Mr. Tairaj Marchattal, an agitating teacher said.
According to the agitating teachers, the number of teachers who received salaries even when on long-leave for B.Ed study has grown forms initial 17 to around 50 now.
“The DDPI should go ahead with promoting other eligible teachers keep the errant teachers aside till their issue is completely settled. Why should the eligible and sincere teachers suffer for those who have committed offence suffer?” Narasappa, another teacher said.
He said that the Director of Public Instruction had directed the DDPI to take action against the teachers who received the salaries even when on long-leave on loss-of-pay terms and also against the concerned officers who granted the payment.
“Even after three years, no action is initiated against anybody involved in the issue. The only thing that the DDPI did was suspending the promotion process indefinitely on account of which the eligible and sincere teachers are suffering,” he said.
A memorandum was submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner.
