Mewat Model Schools staff turned out to be poor sons of Education department – Times of India

CHANDIGARH: The merger of Mewat Model Schools into the Education department has added to the woes of teaching and non teaching staff while putting the question mark on the future of around 7500 students studying the schools of the educationally backward district.
Notably, in 2020, while chairing the meeting of Mewat Development Agency, CM Manohar Lal Khattar had announced to merge the schools in education department to meet the financial liabilities of running the schools.
Accordingly, it was after one year education department merged the schools, then started the nightmare for the 350 strong force of teaching and non-teaching staff deployed there.
According to teachers, they are not only getting delayed salaries but the department has started converting their employment as adhoc employment while citing technical reasons. The teachers recruited after 2012 have been told to clear the HTET exams to complete the eligibility.
“For the past four months, we have not got salaries. And this is happening for the past year and half. Now, the government has come with this new direction. Now, would we teach or prepare for our exams. Especially, at the time when we have completed two decades of employment as per terms and conditions of Mewat cadre,” said Satish, an office bearer of the Association of teaching staff.
As of now we are knocking all the doors, we shall be forced to come out on roads if things are not sorted out, he added.
Notably, the Model school concept dates back to late 90s when they were opened in joint collaboration with the management of prominent chain of schools of New Delhi. These schools, which are affiliated with CBSE were opened in all the blocks of Mewat district.
With the passage of time, the private school’s management withdrew itself and the management of the schools was handed over to Mewat Development Agency which in 2021 handed over the charge of schools, teaching and non-teaching staff to the Education department.
Though Education Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar remained inaccessible. When contacted, officials in Education Department confirmed the conversion of employment by saying, “department has to go by its rule book. So far as clearing the teachers’ eligibility test is concerned, this is the basic qualification now,” he said.