J&K School Education department has allowed Zonal Gender Coordinators (ZGCs) to continue as contractual employees in the department against the posts of Zonal Resource Persons (ZRPs).
In an official communication to Director Samagra Shiksha, Director Finance, School Education has said 114 ZGCs be allowed to continue as ZRPs under Block Resource Centre (BRC) scheme of Samogra Shiksha from April 2020 on monthly honorarium of Rs 7,100 subject to the condition that their services were utilized as per guidelines or the scheme.
However, their continuation shall be subject to the performance to be reviewed quarterly by the ZEOs and CEOs, reads the document.
The authorities concerned have also been asked to take up the issue of drawl of salary arrears of the ZGCs with the funding agency for necessary consent.
As per the documents, around 114 women ZGCs were recruited under NPGEL component of erstwhile SSA scheme on contractual basis in 2005 against a fixed honorarium of Rs 3,000 per month.
In 2006-07, the centre launched National Programme of Education for Girls at Elementary Level (NEPGEL) and the ZGCs were assigned to carry out survey for identifying the dropout and never enrolled children in the respective educational zones, in addition to their own duties, reads the document.
In 2018, a report was submitted by a high level committee that favored absorption of these employees in the department.
As part of their role and responsibility, the ZGCs will assist the department to reduce dropout ratio of girl child at school level and help to increase the enrollment ratio of girl child especially at upper primary and secondary level.
“They will function as academic resource centers with adequate resource reference material for concerned teachers,” reads the document.
These employees were working without salary for the past three years after government of India closed the NPGEL in J&K.