Punjab asks border area teachers to sign ‘undertaking’ to avail an extra increment

The letter states that the decision to give a bonus increment to border area teachers has been taken in response to several litigations filed in the court.

Schools in border districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka have been facing acute shortage of teachers. Due to lack of basic amenities, teachers don’t prefer getting posted here.

The Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) in a statement said that “Punjab government has imposed some unreasonable conditions to avail the bonus increment.”

“The teacher or employee who wants to avail the additional increment will give an undertaking (self-declaration) that he/she will spend his/her entire service period in the border area and if in any case that employee moves outside the border area, then he will have to return the benefit of the increment taken in the past along with interest. This is completely unreasonable and unnecessary because the people of the border area are already suffering in getting education and health facilities and there is also resentment among the teachers in this regard,” said the DTF.

Meanwhile, DTF Punjab state president Vikramdev Singh said, “The Punjab government has created a separate cadre for border area schools, but it has failed in creating an environment for working smoothly in this area. Even while giving an increment, the government is imposing unreasonable conditions. This is nothing but keeping teachers in border areas as bonded laborers. With this decision to withdraw the bonus increment on leaving the border area and making the teacher return the increment with interest, no quality change can be expected in the schools of the border areas.”

Democratic Employees Federation state president Jarmanjit Singh said that there was a need to create a conducive environment for the smooth functioning of schools in the border areas. “A ‘Teacher Home’ should be developed on the lines of police lines for the teachers working in the border area and arrangements should be made for the needy teachers to stay there. By imposing unreasonable conditions even while giving only one increment, the Punjab government is only harassing teachers.”