Azad Hussain
Few days back, some unemployed youth were seen on roads protesting against the recent SAC decision, from the Jammu and Kashmir government, where in Teacher Grade-ll posts have been created for Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers. Being one of the Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers in whose favour the decision has been taken, I have a message in reply to those of my younger brothers who being well qualified people proclaim to be the real deserving candidates for those posts. Dear unemployed youth, hope you are doing well to prosper in your life. You are our future and we have a great expectations from you. A man passes through various stages of life, we the Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers too have gone through the stage at you are right now. There was a time when we too were college pass outs, university pass outs and were facing the brunt of unemployment, we too, at our times, have roamed from piller to post for employment.
But as they say “I can control my destiny but not my fate”, the fate has taken us through the places were we have been pushed to walls again and again then landed us at the juncture were our juniors want to overtake their seniors. Well, being your elders, if you want to secure your future by vandalizing the future of your elder brothers, by snatching their right of employment and pushing their families to wall, no issue. Come and I will be the first person to give up the job for you. But remember my resignation from the post of teacher grade-II would not create a vacancy for you, as these posts are supernumerary in nature, which have not been created against the vacancies. So after my resignation you would get no vacancy neither any job guarantee.
But if you protest against the SAC decision, not to create the posts for teachers who are already working in the department, then we have also a reason to challenge you too in the same manner. Then let me know the purpose of Education department, is it’s purpose to generate employment venues for unemployed youth or its purpose is to provide education. Surely education department has a bounding to provide education and has not taken the responsibility of giving job to the youth. Now You may be thinking why education department then generated thousands of supernumerary posts for Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers, the answer is its compulsion before the legitimate demands of our due rights. Yes there was a proper government order vide order no. 396-Edu of 2000 which entitles a Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers (Ret) as a general line teacher after rendering five years satisfactory service to the department. But due to financial crises in the state government had stopped the benefit of 7th pay commission to said employees. Which the government agreed after a long struggle of teachers.
So the unemployed youth are raising their demand to stop the services of those Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers who are working already in the department from decades as regular employees , so that unemployed youth may get a chance to jump into the department as teachers. But they should know as Rehbar-e-Taleem is a state scheme , they were state government employees and have achieved their rights, after struggling for it for fifteen years, when government decided to delink their salaries from erstwhile SSA scheme to state sector. Not all but few among the unemployed youth do not know that Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers did not belong to SSA scheme but it was the state government which, in order to shed off some financial burden from its shoulders payed them their salaries from the erstwhile scheme SSA.
Later, when the funds fell short from centre , these teachers were subjected to wait for months together for their salaries and in this way pushed the Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers to choose streets for protests, by making them and their families to suffer badly for their due earned wages. It is incumbent to mention for those who raise finger on the qualification of Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers, that there are Ph.D scholars who are presently working as Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers. There are highly efficient Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers who have been engaged on merit basis and have accordingly proved their mettle in the department by increasing the literacy rate in the state. So raising finger on the qualification of Rehbar-e-Taleem Teachers, who have served as torch bearers from last fifteen years, doesn’t make a good sense. Though they were subjected to various mental torchers in one way or the other ,time and again but their unflinching determination never let them down.
So better it is for you to focus on your education rather than making unnecessary hue and cry for that issue which has no relevance with your qualifications and career. Hope soon the vacancies would again be created for you and you would be eligible to apply for. Moreover there is not only a single department you are expecting your future connected with, but if you are having a good potential pertaining to your qualifications and efficiency, you can make it to other better professions too.
( The author is a freelancer. Views are his own [email protected])
