Being forced to donate to NGO, allege teachers

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 20 

Days after having been asked to pay Rs 1,000 for tracksuits from participating teachers, which they are yet to receive, for ‘unscheduled’ games for the school staff, the Education Department is now collecting Rs 365 from them in the name of donation to an NGO, Samarpan. 

The donations have been asked to be made in the name of Sikhiya Sahayta Fund. However, there is no provision for any such fund to be collected by teachers under the RTE Act or any of the existing schemes of the Education Department in the state. 

While there are 2,300 teachers in primary schools in the district, the directions have been made to collect funds from all regular teachers of primary and secondary schools. Centre head teachers of all schools have been asked to collect Rs 365 per teacher (regular) as donations to the NGO for upkeep, maintenance and other important works at schools. 

A Jalandhar-based teacher of a primary school said, “Block education officers have issued verbal instructions to all centre head teachers to collect money from them. All permanent teaches of the department are being forced to make the payment. Receipts have been released to all schools and collections have been made. In some blocks, the money has already been collected.” 

A centre head teacher in Jalandhar said, “There is no choice given to us. If there are 50 regular teachers under me, all have to pay compulsorily either from teacher’s own pocket or from someone else’s who is willing to donate. Temporary teachers have been exempted. I have been asked to submit it to the BPEO.” Narinder Kaur, BPEO of the Phillaur block, said, “The payment is not compulsory. At present, we have been instructed only to collect money from teachers.” 

Rampal, DEO, said, “It is not compulsory. The scheme is only for teachers willing to donate. A similar scheme was also run at Hoshiarpur to improve the quality of schools. We have not put any pressure on teachers to make the payment. It’s just a voluntary donation from those interested in chipping in for school education.”

Sources said BEOs and officials of the Education Department were instructed to make collections from schools after a meeting at the DEO office. Receipts under the NGO title have been disbursed at district schools.  DC Varinder Sharma said, “It is not compulsory for teachers. No teacher is to be pressured to make the donation.”