Administration betrays Nation builders
Staff Correspondent
Port Blair, July 10: It’s been a long and bitter battle for survival, for hundreds of teachers, who are working under Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme of Government of India in remote Islands of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Teachers are said to be nation builders but in Andaman these teachers had to protest on road almost every year for this continuity, job security, enrollment and most importantly survival.
Three years back nearly 147 teachers sat on strike against the Education Department’s Policy to make fresh list of SSA Teachers and dump a few old and experienced teachers, who comes last in merit. After negotiation for next three years these 147 teachers were given continuous appointment in SSA but from this year the Education Department is again re-engaging them.
“Re-engaging means again we have to fill forms and compete with newly passed out teachers, despite of the fact that we have 8- 9 years of experience. We have already got sufficient experience to get 10 marks in merit but beyond this we are stagnant. Fresh Students are gaining experience and their marks for experience are increasing, year after year and hence we are going down in merit list. This is the reason why many of us will not be able to make it to the merit list this year, even after serving the department for 8 – 9 years. Where would these over-aged teachers go? This is a threat to our survival,” a member of Sarva Siksha Abhiyan Contract Teachers Association told Andaman Sheekha today.
At-present 230 members are enrolled in SSA Contract Teachers Association and the Association is now demanding continuation their service in any Education Related Projects (similar to SSA) of Government of India.
“Most of us are already over-aged and can’t apply for any other government job. We have no experience in private jobs, what will be our future?” another teacher added.
Teachers however expressed their gratitude towards the Lt. Governor for enhancing the maximum age from thirty to forty years for appointment of Sarva Shiksha Contract Teachers/Block Resource Persons/Cluster Resource Persons and part time Instructors to be engaged under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan in the Islands but according to these teachers continuity in their service is their most important demand, which is still not fulfilled.
Meanwhile sources in Education Department told Andaman Sheekha that at present for these experienced SSA Contract Teachers there will be no interview. “They will have to compete among themselves in merit list for their re-engagement. But we are sure most of the old teachers will make it to the final list,” said a highly placed source in Education Department on the condition of anonymity.
But the question remains same. What would happen to those experienced and over-aged SSA teachers, who will not be able to make it to the final merit list? How they will they earn their daily bread? Will Administration give an answer to the public?
