Srinagar, July 23: In a bizarre situation of its kind, the Jammu and Kashmir government is pressurizing academics to be present in educational institutions across the Kashmir Valley at a time when the authorities either impose curfew or enforce the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, almost daily.
Under pressure, when the teachers move out of their homes, they are unable to reach the educational institutions in absence of public transport and restrictions imposed by the police and troops.
What is interesting to observe is that while the government itself acknowledges that it had imposed curfew and restrictions, teachers are ordered to reach the educational institutions, come what may. This, according to teachers, was nothing but a “browbeating tactic” of the government where “they are made to risk their lives in the crisis-like situation.”
On Thursday, an official handout quoted the Minister for Education, Peerzada Muhammad Sayed saying: “The Education Department shall constitute special teams to ensure attendance of teachers in the schools. The teams shall monitor the attendance on a daily basis and submit the report to the Director, School Education, who shall in turn present the same to the administrative department.”
The directive, not the first of its kind, evoked little response on Friday for obvious reasons. While the authorities imposed undeclared curfew in many parts of the Valley, restricting the movement of people, public transport was completely off the roads. “In such a situation, what shall the teachers do? We are being threatened time and again to reach schools or face action. But the question is how shall we reach? Some teachers have to travel over 30 kms to reach their schools. Why is government tuning a blind eye to facts,” said a group of teachers. “It is unfortunate that the government is targeting the teaching community like this. Who will be responsible if any teacher or school becomes a victim of the violence on roads?”
Interestingly, the Thursday’s official handout made very little mention about the importance of students’ presence in schools. “Even if teachers reach the schools, what shall they do in absence of students? If students are not available in schools, it is immaterial whether teachers are there are not. The government perhaps wants parents to risk the lives of their children and send them to schools. That is ridiculous. Who will do that?” said Ghulam Qadir, a teacher.
If on one hand, government circulars are pressurizing teachers to risk their lives, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) is adding to their woes. The CID officials, the teachers said, visit the schools during curfews and hartals to monitor the attendance. “We are caught between devil and deep blue sea. If we don’t go, we have to face action. And if we go, we have to risk our lives and those of children as well. It is important that government understands the sensitivity of the matter and stop intimidating teachers. Once the curfews and restrictions are over, we shall be back in schools,” Qadir said.
The teachers have even questioned the government’s policy of being ‘selective’ while ensuring the attendance the employees. “Teachers are not only the government employees. There are hundreds of departments where attendance during hartals and curfews happens to be very thin. So why single out teachers alone?” Qadir added.
Pertinently, CID sources said the attendance in government offices during strikes and restrictions hardly crosses 30 percent. This, they said, includes the Civil Secretariat as well.
When contacted, the Minister for Education, Peerzada Muhammad Sayeed, said teachers must try to reach schools. “It is the question of the students’ career,” he told Greater Kashmir.
Asked how teachers would reach in curfews and in absence of public transport, the minister suggested the teachers must “erect camps in schools and be there round the clock.” “We pay HRA to teachers. So they should not have any problem in reaching their schools. They can erect a camp there and stay there,” Peerzada said.
In response to a question on how it was possible for female teachers to stay in the camps, he said, “There is no hard and fast rule.”
Peerzada said the Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers can easily reach schools. “We are exploring the means to make the transport available for teachers,” he said.

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