Non-performing teachers to get another chance

EDUCATION OFFICERS WERE EARLIER TOLD TO PREPARE A LIST OF TEACHERS AGED ABOVE 50 WHO HAD FAILED TO DELIVER GOOD RESULTS

FARIDKOT: In a relief to teachers, the education department will not enforce compulsory retirement for non-performers aged 50 years and above.

Clarifying this on Friday, district education officer Baljit Kaur said that the directions have been withdrawn.

Circle education officer Khushbir Singh said the letter received from the state school education secretary last week has been withdrawn. “We didn’t start any such process of compulsory retirement of teachers,” he said.

In the wake of zero percent results in some schools in Punjab, the evaluation of teachers was sought by the secretary on the basis of their work and conduct. He had also sought a crackdown on the teachers who absented themselves from schools or had settled abroad.

The retirement age for government employees is 58 years with two years of voluntary extension.

Deputy district education officer Dharamveer Singh said that now the department intends to give another chance to erring teachers.

“We will closely evaluate their performance. If a teacher fails to get good results, he cannot be solely blamed for it,” Dharamveer Singh said.

School education secretary Krishan Kumar had asked all circle education officers and district education officers to prepare a list of teachers above 50 years who had failed to deliver satisfactory results.