To check proxies, teachers’ photos on notice board now

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 19

Concerned over sporadic instances of proxy teachers working in schools as substitutes for regular teachers, particularly in remote areas, the state government has issued directions to heads of all government senior secondary schools to affix photographs of all teachers posted in their schools on the notice board along with their names to check “proxy” teachers.

Additional Chief Secretary (Education) PC Dhiman has told the Director, Higher Education, to issue necessary instructions to all principals/headmasters concerned to immediately implement the directions and ensure that the photographs of teachers were affixed on the notice board along with their names so that students and their parents could identify and “spot proxy teachers”.

Dhiman, in his letter, said: “As you are aware that teachers are fulcrum of the education system and their regularity needs to be strictly enforced, because sometimes ‘sporadic reports’ of proxy teachers come to the notice of the authorities, particularly in rural areas as some teachers depute another person to teach in their place which is a grave misconduct on their part and resultantly vitiate the teaching atmosphere in schools”. In compliance of the directions of the ACS (Education), the Director, Higher Education, has asked the deputy directors to ensure that instructions were sent to all senior secondary schools in this regard.

The Director, in his letter to deputy directors said, “If any such practice (proxy teachers) is prevalent in any school, it should be checked and reported to the authorities concerned immediately. You are, therefore, directed to ensure that the photos of all teachers are affixed on the notice board by the principal/headmaster of all senior secondary schools under your jurisdiction so that students as well as parents can identify the actual teacher”.

The instructions of the government are a pointer towards the state of educational institutions in remote and inaccessible areas where regular teachers are unwilling to go and indulge in such malpractices in connivance with heads of the institutions.

“The practice was much in vogue earlier when road network was virtually invisible in remote areas and connectivity was poor, but now things are changing,” said a retired deputy director.

Director, Higher Education, gets orders

Additional Chief Secretary (Education) PC Dhiman has told the Director, Higher Education, to issue necessary instructions to all principals/headmasters concerned to immediately implement the directions and ensure that the photographs of teachers were affixed on the notice board along with their names so that students and their parents could identify and "spot proxy teachers"