Congress corners Himachal Government over job 'bias'

Tribune News Service

Pratibha Chauhan

Shimla, March 11

The Congress today cornered the government on the deteriorating educational standards and back-door appointments being made in Himachal Pradesh University to benefit people of a particular ideology, ignoring merit.

It was during a debate on cut motion on the Education Department that the Congress raised the demand for making a three-year posting in hard and tribal areas mandatory for new teachers.

Leader of the Opposition Mukesh Agnihotri also demanded an inquiry into the alleged irregularities being committed at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Una district.

Agnihotri said people were not being jobs even at the lower level in the IIIT while crores were being spent on hiring private accommodation to give undue benefit to people. He said despite the government admitting that Manav Bharti University had sold 36,000 degrees across India, the inquiry had still not been handed over to the CBI.

Harshwardhan Chauhan alleged that the appointments of over 150 teachers had been done, ignoring merit. “Retired professors are part of the selection committee rather than heads of departments and appointments are being made bypassing the Executive Council,” he said. There had been a decline in the enrolment in government schools due to the falling education standards.

Chauhan said education in remote areas like Sirmaur and Chamba was getting affected due to a large number of vacancies. “There are 131 colleges in Himachal of which 65 posts of principal are vacant, besides schools being with one or two teachers,” he said.

The government had failed to provide laptops to the meritorious students in last three years while there had also been delay in providing uniform and schoolbags.

Asha Kumari demanded that the government should formulate a policy where it should be mandatory to serve for three years in hard areas. “Drastic steps will have to be taken be bring the derailed education system back on track post-Covid,” she said.

Others who participated in the debate included Nand Lal, ID Lakhanpal, Sanjay Awasthy, Jagat Singh Negi and Rakesh Singha. The Opposition refused to take back the cut motion which fell to voice vote.

IIIT irregularities to be probed soon: Minister

• Education Minister said the government would order an inquiry into the alleged irregularities at IIIT, Una, and send it to the Centre
• The enrolment in government schools had improved after starting of pre-nursery classes in 4,487 schools.
• “The government has allocated Rs 12,000 crore for the education sector which is 16 per cent of the total Budget outlay,” he said.
• Laptops would be given to students shortly while the toppers of 2021-22 be given android phones.

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