Maternity leave marked on 57-year-old headmaster’s records

BAREILLY: The headmaster of a government school in Bareilly has alleged that his service book shows that he was given a sixmonth maternity leave by the education department.

According to official records, 57-year-old Chhote Lal Gangwar was on maternity leave from December 2015 to May 2016. The headmaster said he was regularly working during the mentioned time period and added that the discrepancy in the records could create a problem for him during retirement. “I will be asked about this leave at the time of retirement. The department can set up an inquiry against me for availing maternity leave,” Gangwar said. “I came to know about the discrepancy when I saw my service book, which is kept and updated at the office of the block education officer (BEO). I have submitted an application to the BEO regarding the matter,” he added.

The headmaster said many of his colleagues had also reported such errors in their service books. “The service book of a woman teacher, who had two kids before joining the school, also incorrectly states that she was given maternity leave. She came to know about this much later and is still trying to get it corrected,” said Gangwar.

As per government policy, women government employees are eligible for 180 days of paid maternity leave, twice in their entire service.“These discrepancies in service books are created by middlemen who have strong links with education officials and office clerks,” Bareilly Government Teachers’ Union’s president Rajendra Gangwar said. The BEO, however, downplayed the error and denied the possibility of any middleman tampering with official papers.