Now, govt teachers can’t take casual leaves in one go

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, November 21

Desisting teachers from availing all of their un-utilised casual leaves in one go before these leaves lapse on December 31, the School Education Department on Wednesday directed all school heads not to allow casual leaves of more than two days each in the months of November and December.

Before their un-utilised causal leaves lapse on December 31, the end of a calendar year, most of the teachers in government schools are in the habit of availing all of their leaves in November and December, reads a letter of secretary of School Education Department to all district education officers (DEOs).

With teachers taking their un-utilised leaves all together in November and December months, there is loss of study in the most crucial time for the students to make preparation for their annual examinations, the letter reads.

“The teachers in schools should be asked to desist from availing more than two of these leaves each in November and December,” the secretary wrote.

While a female teacher can avail maximum 20 days of causal leaves in a year, for a male teacher there are 10 days of leave per year up to 10 years of service, 15 leaves up to 10-20 years of service and 20 days of causal leave per year after completion of service of 20 years.

So far, a teacher could avail maximum three of his/ her un-utilised casual leaves in December and there was no restriction of availing these leaves in November. 

Teachers unhappy

Some teachers said the letter had caused discontent among them. As December is wedding season, many employees save their leaves with the motive of utilising them at the time of such functions in their families. But now, with the cap on these leaves to just two a month, the teachers would have to avail earned or without-pay leaves, they rued.