Non-teaching staff oppose recruitment pattern

“Even as the workload is increasing,the recruitment pattern says the present staff is excess. The government has stopped filling the posts of employees who have retired in the last few years,” he said.

Khandekar said the organisation would not demand increase in the posts but would certainly fight for those who would be termed excess with if the recruitment pattern is implemented. “As of now,the circular has not been implemented but it is not yet cancelled too,” he said. There are around 1.25 lakh non-teaching employees in schools across the state. Khandekar said the non-teaching employees are asked to do non-academic duties including election as well as census duties. “The employees have been working more than the duty hours and also on Sundays. However,there is no sympathy for them,” he said.

The recruiting pattern has been decided as per the recommendations of the one-member Kokane Committee set up in 2003. The committee recommended downsizing of almost 50 per cent of non-teaching staff including peons,lab assistants and other class IV employees.

The state non-teaching staff’s organisation had been demanding cancellation of this pattern since then. It may be recalled that the organisation had carried out a rally on the same issue in Nagpur during the winter session of the State assembly last year. After that the delegation of the organisation had met deputy chief minister R R Patil. Patil had assured the organisation at its 38 th annual convention held in Sangli that he would initiate the process of cancellation of the decision. “However,nothing has been decided yet,” claimed Khandekar.