To
His Excellency,
Shri Satya Pal Malik
Honourable Governor, Jammu and Kashmir.
Esteemed Sir,
I am writing an open letter to your venerated and cordial self on behalf of an intellectual and well-qualified but completely marginalised and exploited community popularly known as 10+2 contractual community (lecturers).
Sir, this is to remind your amiable self that School Education Department has been hiring our services for last many years and we have been contributing the prime time of our youth for boosting and overhauling the overall academic environment in Government Schools.
Sir, we have been selected by the department through proper and transparent screening test conducted three times by the authorities since 2016. It becomes pertinent to mention that most of the contractual lecturers have dedicated cream of their life to the department by serving six to seven years in the department and are on the verge of getting overage.
Respected sir, almost all these serving lecturers are highly qualified and professional in nature with PG, B Ed, M Ed, M Phil, PhD, NET/SET having National and International publications to their credit. These lecturers possess good teaching experiences in their respective subjects and have gained much respect and faith among the student community.
Sir, it is quite pathetic to confess that maximum contractual lecturers are married and are the only source of bread to their families. They have to manage and shoulder the financial burden of their families out of their meagre salaries.
Sir, is it possible for a person to manage the schooling of his/her kids, bear family expenses out of the meagre income of Rs 10500 per month that too for a limited session?
Sir, our economic condition is coupled with our future, honour, reputation and career is at stake as there has been no breakthrough in our case till now, despite we repeatedly knocked the doors of in-charge Advisor, Commissioner Secretary School Education and Director School Education. They seem to have completely locked their hearts and minds towards our genuine demand of regularisation and continuation.
Sir, we were hired this year since March 11 and were disengaged on June 30, 2019. Our disengagement completely halted the work in schools and there were frequent student protests and keeping in view our need and demand in schools, a one-month extension was granted in our favour and the same extension will end on August 10, 2019.
Sir, after August 10, the department will once again shut its doors for all of us. We feel completely suffocated. The department is adopting the policy “eating an orange and throwing the peel away”.
Sir, this is sheer injustice in our favour. We are feeling completely helpless, depressed and shocked where to go on after August 10? When the whole nation will be busy in preparing themselves for Eid-ul-Azha on August 10, onwards, people will surely see us weeping for our tragic fate of being disengaged.
Sir, on a daily basis we feel humiliated in society due to the negligent policies and indifferent attitude of the department. We too are human beings having the right to live a respectable life.
Sir, we would like to bring in your kind notice and attention that if there are policies like Rehber-e-Taleem, Rehber-e-Khel, Rehber-e-Ziraat to absorb thousands of unemployed youth with only degrees in hand and no firsthand experience in their concerned departments. Our case is totally different and quite genuine as we have high academic merit plus we have served the department for a healthy period of time and are currently putting our best efforts for the betterment of educational system in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sir, one more issue that I want to bring to your limelight is the issue of recently promoted teachers as in-charge lecturers.
Sir, something definitely smells fishy as while issuing such lists all the codes of conduct and rules have been violated as maximum departmental promotions have been ordered just to please a particular section of people. As per the rule, a particular quota is supposed to be promoted while as the other reserved vacancies are supposed to be filled by Public Service Commission. There must have been a proper screening of documents to these promoted lecturers, as the maximum number of teachers especially science teachers have acquired their degrees from outside universities by hook or by crook.
Sir, we ill-fated people are the worst victim of the wrong policies of the previous Governments as they have never paid any heed to our sufferings and hardships.
Sir, since your gracious self took over the charge as the Governor of this state, you took some bold steps for overhauling all the Government machinery and people have pinned high hopes in you. You have really tightened the noose against erring officials/politicians who were found indulging in corruption and nepotism, for which your highness deserves tons of kudos, appreciation and admiration.
Sir, we request your amiable self to kindly intervene into our genuine matter on humanitarian grounds and issue formal directions to your subordinate officials for framing a safe and secure job policy in favour of hundreds of contractual lecturers. Doing so, you will receive the blessings of hundreds of families including kids, age-old parents and so on.
Yours sincerely
Aarif Mushtaq
(M A, M Phil, B Ed)
Lecturer English on Academic Arrangement
Government Higher
Secondary Vessu, Anantnag
On behalf of
10+2 Contractual Forum
District Anantnag
