Dept justifies promotion of teacher during poll code

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 21

The promotion of a government schoolteacher in the district during the poll code of conduct has kicked up a storm within teachers.

However, the Education Department has justified the decision stating that it was a rare and exceptional case of a widow teacher’s promotion who had earlier missed out on her promotion due to her husband’s battle with cancer, eventually leading to his death.

A letter issued by the DEO (Elementary) on September 17 stated that “the teacher, who was posted at the Government Primary School, Chugitti, Block East 2, has been promoted as head teacher and has been transferred to Government Primary School, Raipur Gujran, Block Nakodar-1. Following the debar orders being revoked by the DPI (elementary education), the teacher was adjusted to Government Primary School, Nangal Shama, Block East-2. The conditions of the promotion, however, remained the same.

The teacher was unable to claim her promotion earlier in the year due to her husband, who was suffering from mouth cancer. She had taken him to China for treatment and after his demise, she returned. The department has said on sympathetic grounds, her case was put up for immediate consideration upon her re-application for promotion as head teacher.

Demanding filling of vacant posts of head teacher and clearing pending promotions in the district, teachers also staged a protest at the DEO’s office here on Thursday. They said the case could have been cleared after the polls.

DEO (Elementary) Rampal, however, justified the decision. He said, “If a widow who missed out on her promotion due to her struggle against husband’s long illness and eventually loses him, it is our moral duty to clear her case on re-application on a priority basis. The department action was taken as per a continuous process and it is not a violation of the code. As far as other pending promotions are concerned, these shall be cleared within a couple of days after the poll results.”