Education Deptt repatriates ‘favorite’ Resource Persons to schools
Education Deptt repatriates ‘favorite’ Resource Persons to schools
Srinagar : The School Education Department (SED) has repatriated Resource Persons from offices to schools following criticism for allowing influential teachers to enjoy prolonged stints as District Resource Persons (DRPs), Zonal Resource Persons (ZRPs) and Cluster Resource Persons (CRPs) in violation of norms.
An order for the repatriation of these resource persons has been issued by the Director School Education Kashmir (DSEK).
The DRPs, ZRPs and CRPs were posted after the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in J&K and were nominated from within the existing resourceful teaching staff from different schools of the district.
“ The sole objective of their nomination was to provide academic support and to help in effective implementation of SSA in their respective zones,” the order reads.
However, complaints were pouring in from all zones and clusters about these Resource Persons who were manning non-teaching assignments in offices rather than providing academic assistance to teachers in the schools.
In wake of the complaints, repeated circulars and orders were issued by the DSEK directing Chief Education Officers (CEOs) and Zonal Education Officers (ZEOs) to relieve these teachers from offices and ensure they join back in schools.
However, most of these ZRPs, CRPs continued their deployment in offices in violation of government rules evoking criticism from all quarters.
“ Some districts have made new selections of ZRPs and CRPs recently without approval from this office (DSEK) which is a deviation of the order,” the DSEK said in its order.
The DSEK further noted that the new lot of Resource Persons for Clusters and Zones will be nominated in line with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020.
Also, a meeting to streamline the institution of DRPs, ZRPs, and CRPs strictly as per National Education Policy 2020 was convened on February 2 this year.
Notably, the NEP-2020 has focused on reconstitution of School Complexes, Clusters with new Resource Persons (DRPs, ZRPs & CRPs) from the pool of well qualified and competent teachers.
“ The DRPs, ZRPs and CRPs presently working in different districts are hereby repatriated to their original places of posting forthwith,” the DSEK order said.
The department has also said that the nomination of new DRPs, ZRPs and CRPs shall be made shortly in consultation with JKSCERT.
“ The basic purpose of nominating ZRPs, CRPs and DRPs is to provide academic assistance to teachers in schools but the majority of them get deployed in offices to handle non-teaching assignments,” an official said.
Notably, the academicians have also demanded a reshuffle of teaching staff “adjusted” on DIETs and SCERT for years together.
“The department has deployed influential teachers in DIETs and SCERT irrespective of merit. They are enjoying their prolonged stint in these institutions at the cost of the students,” a senior lecturer said, wishing not to be named.
The SED early January invited online applications from the in-service officials and employees besides the teaching staff of the department to fill the vacancies in the SCERT and DIETs.
The department advertised more than 160 posts of different categories to be filled at State Council of Education Research and Trainings (SCERT) by shifting in-service employees of the department for a fixed tenure.
“But the process remained confined to only papers as no changes were made in the last three months. The initiative will be shelved and those already adjusted in these institutions will continue their stint,” an official said.(GK)
