The district administration has ordered the withholding of salaries of at least 84 schoolteachers for skipping assigned tasks under the Drug and Socio-Economic Survey undertaken by the state government across Punjab.
According to teachers’ bodies, the district administration was penalising them for refusing duties that were “forcibly imposed” on them without their consent.
However, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Divya P said the order would be reviewed and discussions would be held with teachers to encourage participation in the survey. Three letters directing the drawing and disbursing officers (DDOs) and heads of schools to withhold the June salaries of the schoolteachers were issued on June 23 and 24.
According to the letters, the employees had been appointed as enumerators, and were instructed to report to the election cell office on June 11 and again on June 23. Despite orders, show-cause notices and repeated telephone reminders, they did not turn up for duty till June 23, the letters read. Calling the survey an important and time-bound government exercise, the authorities said the employees’ absence amounted to negligence and violation of official orders.
The district authorities directed that the salaries of the defaulting employees should not be released without the approval of the competent authority and instructed school heads not to allow them to mark attendance or rejoin duties without prior approval.
Karnail Singh Phillaur, district president of the Government Teachers’ Union said, “Teachers are not willing to take up these duties because the government had announced that participation would be voluntary. Now, to compel us, the administration is resorting to salary withholding orders.”
Avtar Lal, district secretary of the Democratic Teachers’ Front, alleged that immense pressure was being mounted on teachers and school heads to carry out the survey.
“The authorities are pressuring us to enrol for the survey. Those who refused are now being threatened, which is unfair,” he said.
Swaran Singh, one of the teachers facing the salary freeze, said “I had submitted my medical certificate and was assured that my duty would be waived. However, even after that, I am receiving repeated calls and warnings that my salary will be withheld if I do not report for duty.”
Won’t take such harsh measures, says ADC
The ADC said such a strict measure “would not be taken”. “Only around 40 per cent of the survey has been completed in Jalandhar and we are still facing a shortage of 300 enumerators, which may have led to these directions. We will deploy staff from schools where no survey duties have yet been assigned to bridge the gap,” she said.
