In a blow to Chief Minister’s ambitious coaching program, the lecturers entrusted with preparing the students for competitive examinations have been tasked with election-related duties by deputy commissioners.
“The move will make CM’s ambitious programme a flop show if the teachers engaged in coaching program will be given non-teaching assignments,” an official said.
The CM’s Super50 coaching programme for this year was inaugurated on December 9 for preparing 1263 students enrolled in 12 centres across Kashmir for various competitive engineering and medical exams.
“We have appointed subject-wise teacher for students in each Super50
centre but now the recent orders issued by DCs for involvement of teachers in upcoming urban local body and panchayat elections will derail the process,” director school education Kashmir GN Itoo said.
He said six lecturers—four in Ganderbal and two in Anantnag—have been appointed as assistant returning officers (AROs) for these elections.
“I am collecting details from all chief education officers about the number of lecturers who figure in the list of AROs and are engaged in the coaching programme. I have got the confirmation that DCs in Anantnag and Ganderbal have done it,” he said.
Itoo said the matter will be taken up with education minister to seek exemption of teaching staff from election related duties.
“CM’s Super50 is a time-bound coaching initiative and we can’t afford
relieving our lecturers for election-related duty at this juncture,” he said.
However, deputy commissioner GanderbalPiyushSinghla said the teachers engaged in CM’s Super50 programme will be exempted from ARO duty.