Heavy fine on teachers, students in Punjab condemned

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 6

The Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) on Monday condemned the state government’s decision to levy Rs 1,000 per student fine (Rs 10,000 per school) on schoolteachers failing to ensure generation of zero fee challan for students of Class V and VIII.

On the one hand the board charged and pocketed hefty fee from students during the pandemic despite no board exams and on the other, heavy fines were imposed on schools this year, which have failed to generate zero challans for students from Class V and VIII. The shortcomings in the online registration process of PSEB are responsible for this. Members of Democratic Teachers' Front

Terming this a one-sided decision taken by the government, the front termed it similar to fee and fine levied on students or teachers on one pretext or the other due to the Punjab Government’s inability to release grant in aid to the Punjab School Education Board.

DTF members elaborated that education for students of Classes V and VIII was free as per the Right to Education Act. But every school was supposed to submit a form called zero-fee challan to the Education Department, which states that no fee has been charged from students of these classes in the school. Teachers said the completion of this simple procedure was inviting charges of Rs10,000 per school in the name of fine.

They said the faulty website of the department was making it difficult for teachers to do the needful, rather they were being fined for the same. Teacher leaders said the Punjab School Education Board was proving to be a hub of loot.

DTF state president Vikram Dev Singh, general secretary Mukesh Kumar, and finance secretary Ashwani Awasthi demanded from Education Minister Pargat Singh to fulfil his promise with the Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha and ensure completion of all board classes’ registration without any fine.

They said on the one hand the board charged and pocketed hefty fee from students during Covid pandemic year last year despite no board exams and on the other, heavy fines have been imposed on schools this year, which have failed to generate zero challans for students from Class V and VIII. They said the shortcomings in the online registration process of the Punjab School Education Board were actually responsible for this.

DTF leaders said imposition of financial burdens on state schoolteachers already burdened with Punjab School Education Board’s clerical works, was a proof of the apathy prevalent among board’s higher officials. DTF called on all teachers facing similar burden across the state to gather in large numbers during the state-level protest to be held near the residence of Education Minister Pargat Singh on December 8 under the banner of Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha.