Reduction in probation period fails to placate some teachers

Sameer Singh
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, March 13

The state government’s decision to reduce the probation period of teachers from three years to two years with a pay cut has barely managed to placate a section of contractual teachers in the district.

Last week, the Cabinet had approved regularisation of services of 5,178 master cadre teachers’ with full pay scale, which will come into effect from October 1, 2019.

Sources in the Education Department said teachers recruited under 5178 master cadre had already completed their contractual period after working for three years from November 2014 to November 2017, but the state government kept stalling the regularisation process citing one reason or the other. Later, when members of various teacher unions resorted to a protest spree, the government promised the 5178 master cadre teachers to regularise their services from January 2019. The move is aimed at placating the teachers.

Sources said with the passage of time, the government did not regularise their services and now, it has reduced the probation period.

Even after working for four years on contract, 5178 master cadre teachers have to continue to work on the probation period for another two years.

Of the 5,178 category teachers, 5,078 were recruited in the master cadre and 100 were hired as classical and vernacular (C&V) teachers in 2014, 2015 and 2016.

Teachers under master cadre are currently paid Rs7,500 per month and their salary would now be fixed at minimum grade pay of Rs15,300 per month till the time they are given full scale after the end of the probation period.

Resham Singh, a member of the Democratic Teachers’ Front, said, “It is a ploy by the state government and those, who did not accede to it, had to face problems one way or the other. Many teachers had accepted the offer giving in to the pressure weighed upon by the department. Otherwise, why would teachers agree to be regularised when their salaries have been decreased from Rs42,000 to Rs15,300 now.”

“Random transfer orders and evaluations under Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjab project were some of the tactics used by the department to suppress the voice of dissent of teachers. Those, who tried to diverge or did not comply with the regularisation offer, had to face tough times. But there are still some teachers who have decided to hold the fort and did not give-in to the ploy of the Education Department,” he added.