Computer teachers to boycott non-teaching work

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

Peeved at the piling up of clerical and election duties on them, despite being burdened with clerical work at schools, computer teachers today declared that they would not get involved in any clerical work.

Computer teachers working across the district, on the call of the Computer Teachers Union, today took a pledge to boycott all non-educational works and sat on a dharna at the local DC office on the issue.

Submitting a memorandum to the DC, they demanded that they be allowed to remain teachers and not be made computer operators forcibly.

They said as per the instructions of the office of the Education Secretary as well as the High Court, allocating non-teaching duty to computer teachers has been prohibited. But they said the work was going on in full swing at the district level.

While computer teachers were worried about getting their syllabus completed, they added that the DC office as well as various SDM offices had turned the schools into computer data feeding centres, which was adversely affecting the studies of students.

From August to November, the work of online data and scholarships affected the studies of students. In November-December, computer teachers were allocated duties at various offices in connection with corporation elections. During the crucial period of examinations, the computer teachers had been allocated the job of feeding the information of one lakh voters.

Besides the filling up of thousands of forms under the Mahatma Gandhi Sarv Vikas Yojna is also being forced upon computer teachers. They said the non-teaching work was taking a toll on the education department and was adversely affecting the studies of students.

The computer teachers said as per the directions of the Election Commission, a permanent employee should be deputed at every election cell for the same work which was being allocated to schools. They said the computer unions across the state were boycotting the non-teaching work.

In Jalandhar district, the total boycott of non-teaching work shall continue. A request is also being made to the Education Secretary Krishan Kumar to resolve the matter as early as possible.

‘Allow us to remain computer teachers’

• Submitting a memorandum to the DC, they demanded that they be allowed to remain teachers and not be made computer operators forcibly. They said as per the instructions of the office of the Education Secretary as well as the High Court, allocating non-teaching duty to computer teachers had been prohibited. But they said the work was going on in full swing at the district level. 
• While computer teachers were worried about getting their syllabus completed, they added that the DC office as well as various SDM offices had turned the schools into computer data feeding centres, which was adversely affecting the studies of students.