Ensure film fest success or face music, teachers told

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, December 12

The Gurdaspur District Education Officer (DEO) has come down heavily on teachers who are not ensuring the presence of students at the three-day “Ek Bharat Film Festival” at the RD Khosla DAV Model Senior Secondary School in Batala.

On the opening day yesterday, films like “Gandhi” and ‘Lagaan’ failed to attract students.

Livid, District Education Officer (DEO) Rakesh Bala, in a written communiqué addressed to nearly 100 high and senior secondary schools, has asked teachers to ensure the presence of all students, saying those who do not abide by the instruction should appear before Batala Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rohit Gupta on December 15.

Teachers’ Union leaders said the District Education Officer, who is the sister-in-law of Education Minister Aruna Chaudhury, was “resorting to draconian measures to make the festival a success.”

“Earlier, teachers were forced to prepare electoral rolls against Right to Education (RTE) Act rules. How can the District Education Officer force principals and school heads to take children to a film festival? It makes no sense when we have a system where students can be shown movies in the school itself. Moreover, many students say they have already seen the films,” said Amarjit Shastri, a union leader of the Democratic Teachers Front.

“Principals are being forced to hire buses to ensure that students reach Batala. From where will these principals pay the expenses incurred?” questioned Shastri.

When contacted, the District Education Officer said principals would be refunded the money from school funds. However, a principal said seldom did they get refunds for such ‘expenses’.

Union leaders term it draconian 

Teachers’ Union leaders said Gurdaspur District Education Officer Rakesh Bala was ‘resorting to draconian measures to make ‘Ek Bharat Film Festival’ at RD Khosla DAV Model Senior Secondary School a success”. They said principals were being forced to hire buses to ensure that students reach Batala. They alleged they never got refunds for such expenses. The three-day festival started on Monday.