Teachers get odd jobs at Yamunanagar temple fair
STATE OF AFFAIRS Administration initiates disciplinary action against teachers who did not take part in the training for these assignments ahead of the annual fair
CHANDIGARH: In a move that has stirred up the teaching community in Haryana, the Yamunanagar administration has asked government schools teachers and other government employees to distribute “prasad” and perform other sundry duty during the four-day annual mela (fair) at Kapal Mochan temple which began there on Tuesday.
Moreover, the administration has even initiated disciplinary action against some teachers who did not take part in the training for these assignments ahead of the fair.
The Yamunanagar unit of the Haryana Vidyalaya Adhyapak Sangh has lodged a protest against the orders. The sangh state president CN Bharati said that while the Sangh had always flayed such orders of the government there did not seem to be any check on the same.
“It is sad that the state government gives tasks other than teaching to teachers of the government schools at the cost of education to poor students. Often it is seen that half of the days of a year when teachers are given tasks like undertaking surveys,” Bharati said.
However, deputy commissioner Rohtash Singh Kharb held that the administration’s decision was being misinterpreted.
“Since about four to five lakh devotees come to the fair every year, the administration deploys about 600 government employees including teachers who do miscellaneous tasks such as management of devotees and do other tasks including assisting the Kapal Mochan shrine board priests. It is wrong to say that the teachers have been asked to do pujari (priests’) job,” he claimed.
Also, it is not first time that teachers are given such tasks and of the total 600 government employees there are about 100 teachers, he added.
Meanwhile the leader of the principal opposition party Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) Abhay Chautala also lambasted the BJP government for assigning teachers such jobs at the cost of studies.
It is sad the state govt gives tasks other than teaching to teachers at the cost of education to poor students. CN BHARATI , president, Yamunanagar unit, Haryana Vidyalaya Adhyapak Sangh