“Unfortunately instead of books, dusters and chalks teachers have been armed with broomsticks, floor scrubbers and mops to clean the classrooms, playgrounds and laboratories which usually is the duty of sweepers.”
Absolutely a welcome move was the return of teachers a week before the resumption of class work after two and a half month long winter vacation but people won’t have even imagined it that teachers on resumption of duties after 21st February will find themselves in the role of sweepers. Teachers were expected to make preparations for greeting students on their first day at schools after two and a half month longer winter vacation but unfortunately instead of books, dusters and chalks teachers have been armed with broomsticks, floor scrubbers and mops to clean the classrooms, playgrounds and laboratories which usually is the duty of sweepers. This is not just an allegation leveled against the authorities of school education department but a routine activity witnessed in Government Schools by people at large in remote rural areas of Kashmir Valley. Assigning the role of sweepers to teachers prior to resumption of class work just to overcome the shortage of sweepers at schools is an unethical practice both in the eyes of law and as well as institutional ethics. The Zonal and Chief Education Officers of Valley owe an explanation to the people over their inability to maintain the dignity of teachers and teaching in Government Schools. The silence of teachers for being asked to do the job of sweepers obviously due to fear of harassments doesn’t give the Zonal and Chief Education Officers the moral and administrative right to lower the dignity of teachers at Government schools in full public glare.
“Even if there are some technical reasons for tasking the job of sweepers to teachers instead of engaging sweepers on contractual basis, the bad trend of placing broomsticks, floor scrubbers and mops instead of of books, dusters and chalks in the hands of teachers ahead of the resumption of class work won’t find any takers within and outside school Education Department in Jammu & Kashmir. The onus of taking corrective measures for streamlining the engagements of sweepers for the purposes of maintaining the dignity of the institutions of teachers and teaching lies on Zonal and Chief Education Officers of Kashmir Valley”.
It would be absolutely humiliating for the students to see their teachers doing the job of sweepers on the very first day of the opening of schools just after 2-3 days from now on Ist March and as such the onus of deploying sweepers for cleaning the classrooms, laboratories and playgrounds before the return of students to schools lies on the authorities of School Education Department. Even if there are some technical reasons for tasking the job of sweepers to teachers instead of engaging sweepers on contractual basis, the bad trend of placing broomsticks, floor scrubbers and mops instead of of books, dusters and chalks in the hands of teachers ahead of the resumption of class work won’t find any takers within and outside school Education Department in Jammu & Kashmir. The onus of taking corrective measures for streamlining the engagements of sweepers for the purposes of maintaining the dignity of the institutions of teachers and teaching lies on Zonal and Chief Education Officers of Kashmir Valley.
