NEW GUIDELINES issued by the director of Haryana Higher Education Department under the child care leave policy have not gone down well with women employees of government colleges. Child Care Leave (CCL) is granted to women employees having minor children (below the age of 18) for two years during their entire service for any needs like illness or exams. According to the new guidelines, women employees can avail either only one month CCL or 4.5 months’ leave in one spell. If they opt for the second option, they may face a transfer as their current post would be considered vacant. “If the leave availed is more than one month, the employee will have to join the directorate after availing the CCL and fresh posting will be given after re-joining,” state the recent guidelines issued by the director. Office-bearers of the Haryana Government College Teachers Association feel that this move is like a “threat” to teachers to discourage them from availing CCL. “We will meet the director first to raise our point of view. If needed, we will meet the education minister as well to register our protest to the new conditions as the same have been imposed at a time when the Haryana government stresses a lot on Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao Abhiyan. The government should fill the vacant posts in colleges so that teachers don’t face problems in availing their CCL,” said the association’s general secretary Sharmila Badhwar. Department officials said more than 30 per cent posts in the department are vacant. Women teachers say they should be allowed to take CCL of less than one month or more. The department’s instruction which has worried them most is the condition of informing officials two months before availing CCL. “The employee shall apply for CCL at least two months before the commencement date of such leave,” say the new rules. A woman employee said, “How can we anticipate the requirement of leave so early?” The directorate wants enough time to make alternative arrangements in place of the teacher going on leave so that studies are not affected, said sources. The association’s president, Professor Narender Siwach, said many fresh restrictions have been imposed on the CCL, which don’t exist in the Haryana Civil Services (Leave) Rules. However, department director A Sreenivas said departments can amend the instructions as per their requirements after approval from the government. “This system has been in practice for the past year in the department on the basis of draft policy, but we have formalised it now,” Sreenivas told The Indian Express. The director said it’s difficult for the department to make alternative arrangements at colleges for different durations of CCL. “That is why we have kept only two options — one month or 4.5 months — for availing this type of leave. If we don’t have this policy, every second person will be on CCL,” he added. “If a clerk takes leave, then another clerk can look after his responsibilities. But if a college professor goes on leave for two months, it’s difficult for another teacher to teach students for so long,” he added. However, state Education Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar feels that the new conditions need to be discussed again. “As per the new conditions, if an employee avails leave for more than one month, then the post would be considered vacant. We will increase this time period to three months as we also feel that one month is too less. If an employee takes leave for more than three months, then the post would be considered vacant,” Gujjar told The Indian Express. There are around 157 government colleges across the state.
