Joining orders elude 300 primary teachers

Maharashtra School Education Minister Rajendra Darda is expected to hold a meeting on Tuesday in Mumbai on the matter. In June 2010,around 700 teachers were intimated that they had been selected as primary teachers,following the Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by the Maharashtra Rajya Pariksha Parishad on May 2,2010. On June 25,around 400 teachers had gathered in front of ZP office in protest against the delay in getting joining letters following which 200 got joining orders,taking the total to 400.

An earlier government resolution (GR) had set joining deadline as May 31,2011. A later GR pushed it to August 31,2011.

Vishnu Jamadar,one of teachers awaiting the joining letter,said,“All we have got are assurances. Any work gets done only after we take to streets. After this maybe we have to do what the whole nation is doing,go on hunger strike. All districts in Maharashtra have given joining letters and posting orders to all primary teachers for ZP schools. Pune is the only district lagging behind. Despite getting jobs,we have been unemployed for over a year now.”

He added that after a meeting with officials of Pariksha Parishad on Saturday evening,they were assured that the matter will be expedited. “We were told that school education minister Darda will personally look into the matter in a meeting on Tuesday in Mumbai. We can only hope for the best,” he added.

When contacted,SK Shendkar of the Zilla Parishad education department,said,“A lot of promotions pending owing to court cases have been resolved. Most are promotion of headmasters and graduate teachers. We expect to be able to finish the process by December. Right now there over 160 primary teachers and 70 semi-english schoolteachers yet to get joining orders.”