Chandigarh: Even as Punjab govt projects major improvements in school education, Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), a teachers’ organisation, has raised concerns over a large number of vacancies in key administrative and academic posts across the state.In a report, Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF), Punjab, claimed that several important district and block-level education posts, including those of district education officers, deputy district education officers, block primary education officers and school principals, were lying vacant.DTF Punjab state president Vikram Dev Singh and general secretary Mahinder Kaurianwali said as a result, several districts were being administered through additional charge arrangements rather than by regularly appointed officers.Punjab has posts of district education officer (secondary), district education officer (elementary), deputy district education officer (secondary) and deputy DEO (elementary) at the district level. These officers play an important role in the administration, supervision and monitoring of school education.DTF Punjab finance secretary Ashwani Awasthi alleged that the vacancies were at odds with govt’s claims of transforming the education system.According to DTF, three of the four key district-level posts are vacant in Hoshiarpur and Tarn Taran. It claimed that two such posts are vacant in each of Faridkot, Muktsar and Fazilka, while one post is vacant in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, Ludhiana, Mansa and Barnala.The teachers’ body further claimed that seven of the 23 posts of DEO (secondary) and seven of the 23 posts of DEO (elementary) were vacant. According to its figures, 14 of the 46 sanctioned posts in the two cadres (30%) are currently unfilled.DTF also highlighted the situation in Malerkotla: despite the district having been created more than five years ago, sanctioned posts of District Education Officers had not yet been created there. It said education administration in the district was being managed through additional responsibilities assigned to officials from neighbouring areas and local officers.At the block level, the organisation claimed that more than 110 of Punjab’s 228 sanctioned posts of Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO) were vacant. It further said that all 11 blocks in Ropar district were functioning without regular BPEOs.The organisation demanded that Punjab govt and school education department immediately fill vacant posts of DEOs and other district-level officers, establish a regular promotion mechanism for Deputy DEOs and hold Departmental Promotion Committee meetings regularly to prevent the accumulation of vacancies. It also demanded the creation of sanctioned district-level education posts in newer districts such as Malerkotla and the immediate filling of vacant BPEO and principal posts.Education minister Harjot Singh Bains said the department was making efforts to fill the vacant posts, but the process had been delayed due to pending promotions. He said the govt had received relief from the high court in matters related to promotions, including those concerning the Master Cadre and Principals, and added that the vacant posts would be filled shortly.“All the posts will be filled through promotions and fresh recruitment wherever required. The govt is committed to providing quality education. No previous govt has made such extensive efforts to fill vacancies across different cadres,” Bains said.
