Offices empty as year-end nears

The Education Department’s clerical staff too indulge in this practice,irrespective of the files piling up on their tables daily. However,Ludhiana District Education Officer (DEO) (Secondary) Harbhajan Ram said,“We have issued standing instructions to all schools that only 1/4 staff can go on leave at a time and a teacher cannot avail of more than two days’ leave in the last fortnight. But sometimes teachers avail of short leave.”

It has also been observed that teachers give over to school a few hours earlier on the last working day before the winter vacation on the pretext that they have to finish off their pending work. But this year Director General of School Education (DGSE) Krishan Kumar has issued instructions to all government schools to teach the students full day before the winter vacations. Confirming this,the DEO said,”He has sent this letter online to all schools.”

Sources revealed that in the Health Department,too,a large section of employees have gone on leave. A staff said,“Our civil surgeon Dr Satwant Kur Bhalla is on leave for about a month. She will join be back on December 25. So why cannot employees go on leave?’”

However,Ludhiana Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Yashwant Mehta said,“In the last fortnight of the year,the employees are asked to avoid leave until or unless there is any emergency like a wedding of some close relative or some other important event.”

People who visit the District Transport Office too complain that one or the other employee remains on leave these days. However,Ludhiana District Transport Officer Ashwani Kumar denied this. “There are three officers and seven clerks in this office and all remain busy with public work these days. Out of the seven,threeor four of my clerks remain busy in court and the other three attend to the public,” he said.

Despite checks,teachers report late

*Rigorous checking by officers of the Education Department notwithstanding ,many government school teachers are still in the habit of reporting late. The government school timings are from 9 am to 3:30 pm but many government school teachers reach their schools half an hour to one hour late. This practice is still going on in the government schools of the Bet area where officers of the Education Department rarely visit. A school principal said,“The officers keep checking schools of the city areas. I have observed many times that teachers of rural area schools keep waiting for their bus at the bus-stop at 9 am . However,it takes one hour for them to reach the school. Why do the officers not check these schools?”