Port Blair, Apr 22: The PCC President Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma has invited the attention of the Lt. Governor, A & N Islands towards the pitiable condition of an appreciably large number of part time employees/workers engaged by the Directorate of Education as Craft Instructors, Pre Primary Teachers, Pre –Primary Ayahs/ Safai Karamchari and Attendants at various schools located in A&N Islands.
As of now there are 750 odd part time employees, of which around 465 part time employees have rendered more than 10 years of service and remaining 285 odd part time workers are being continually engaged since 2012.These Part Time Employees are vital constituent of the education delivery system in these islands as their services are being utilized to satisfy the requirement laid down under the Right to Education Act 2009.
The Part Time Craft Instructors and the Part Time Pre-Primary Teachers are paid meager consolidated emolument ofRs.10500/- per month per day for engagement of 4 (four) hours out of the 6(six) full time schooling hours and for similar engagement the Part Time Ayahs/Safai Karamchari and the Part Time Attendants are paid meager consolidated emolument of Rs.8500/- per month which has come into effect from July 2016.
The services of these Part Time employees/workers are engaged for the academic session and gets terminated on commencement of the summer vacation, which means that these part time employees are paid only for 10 months in a year. They are not entitled for any kind of leave , hence if they don’t attend the school even due to unavoidable circumstances, their wages are proportionately cut thereby resulting in further reduction in the monthly wages.
Mr. Kuldeep has further said that the A&N Administration taking into consideration the prevailing consumer price index in these Islands has made substantial increase in the daily wages for different categories of workers viz. an unskilled worker getting a daily wage hike of 47%, semi skilled worker getting 53% increase and skilled around 60%. The PCC President requested the Lt. Governor that a similar increase in the consolidated monthly wage in respect of Part Time employees/workers may also be made in accordance with the relevant category to which they belong.
In his letter the PCC President has also invited the kind attention of the Hon’ble Lt Governor, A & N Islands to the following genuine grievances of the part time employees/workers and requested for favourable consideration.
1) The services rendered by the part time employees be recognized and due weightage be given in the form of experience when they apply for regular government since these part time employees serves for 4 out of 6 full day schooling hours in the schools having single shift and 4 out of 5 full day schooling hours in the schools having double shifts,
2) As these part time employees are engaged on contractual basis they need to be provided with two and half days leave for every completed month of service as is being given to the teachers engaged under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan.
3) A policy decision similar to that taken in respect of the teachers engaged under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan for an annual increase of 10% in the emolument at every reengagement done on commencement of new academic session may also be taken in respect of these part time employees/workers.
4) These part time employees / workers be brought under the purview of “THE MATERNITY BENEFIT (AMENDMENT)ACT, 2017 for providing various benefits as envisaged under the said Act.
