Pune, Dec 14: A recent circular issued by the state government, being seen as a fresh bid by the state government to implement a move made six years ago to reduce number of non-teaching staff in government schools, has evoked strong reaction here.
Non-teaching staff of schools are gearing up to oppose it. If the pattern is implemented, around 28,000 non-teaching employees in the state, of which 5,000 are from Pune, stand to lose their job, according to the organisation of non-teaching staff that will conduct a protest march against the ordinance on Monday in Nagpur where winter session of the assembly is on.
“The move is not justifiable as it means 28,000 non-teaching employees of various schools across the state will lose their jobs,” said Shivaji Khandekar, secretary of Pune District Non-teaching Staff Organisation.
The state government had appointed the one-member Kokane Committee in 2003 to decide on the requirement of non-teaching staff in schools. According to Khandekar, the committee recommended downsizing of almost 50 per cent of non-teaching staff including peons, lab assistants and other class IV employees.
“The non-teaching employees had opposed the recommendation then. The government had stayed the resolution after an agitation by organisations,” he said.
“The government tried to enforce it in 2005 in a new form in which it allowed to fill some posts of lab-assistants. It was also opposed as there was no mention of filling new posts of peons. Another agitation followed and the government stayed it again,” he said.
Khandekar said that, meanwhile, the government didn’t fill the posts of non-teaching staff who retired in the last six years. “The government was supposed to fill vacant posts in February this year, but in a complete U-turn on November 10, the government cancelled that circular,” he said.
A circular issued on November 10 by school education secretary A M Bhattalwar, besides cancelling the February circular, stated that the 2005 pattern of non-teaching staff recruitment would continue. “This means that the government has plans to reduce non-teaching staff. We will start our protest against the circular Monday onwards,” said Khandekar.
–Agencies