SUBASH RAI
GANGTOK, 02 March: The Human Resource Development Department has confirmed that the Headmaster, Purna Bahadur Gurung, and two teachers, Binod Gurung and Bhuwan Pandey, of Suntaley Junior High School had played foul in the conduction of the Chief Minister’s Special Merit Scholarship scheme at their school. Termination of the services of all three has been mooted by the Department and orders are expected soon. [click here for background details and public complaint]
The Department also claims that necessary action had been initiated immediately after the complaint reached the Department through the public of Sadam-Suntaley.
Speaking to NOW!, CS Rao, Director [School Education], HRDD said, “Our South District office received the complaint on 22 February and the very next day we cancelled the admission of the two students who had been enrolled at different schools under the scheme.”
Among them, Mr. Pandey’s daughter had secured admission at Tashi Namgyal Academy, while Mr. Gurung’s daughter was enrolled to Pineridge School at Himachal Pradesh.
The letter No. 738/Dir/HRDD/SE dated 23.2.2011 signed by Mr. Rao and addressed to the Principal of these two schools reads, “A technical problem has been reported and confirmed… In this regard it is requested to cancel her admission and keep the seat for the next successful candidate of the HCM’s Merit Scholarship… it is also requested to realize all the expenses incurred by the School while making her admission, please…”
The Director explained that the Department didn’t make it public earlier seeing the vulnerability on part of the two students and the trauma which might have befallen them for no fault of theirs. The teachers in question has forged documents to show the two students as studying at Suntaley JHS and having come first and second in the class V exams there. Both children were studying in private schools and by forging school documents, the teachers ended up denying an opportunity to the two students who had actually secured the top-2 spots and hence qualified to sit for the screening test held for the scholarship programme.
Detailing on the actions taken against the three teachers including the headmaster, Mr. Rao said, “We have already served show-cause notices to all of them and directed them to submit their reply in written within 7 days from the date of receiving of the notice.”
The notice served to the headmaster through the Director on 26 February reads, “As per the report received from the District Office, South, it is revealed that you have issued Study Certificates to two students… and selected them to secure seats in the prestigious Hon’ble Chief Minister’s Special Merit Scholarship when both the students were students of Private Schools… and selected for the same… which is in contravention of the guidelines prescribed vide Sikkim Government Gazette Notification… and has caused considerable damage to the image of Government and Department…”
The notice further reads, “… As a Government servant, your conduct is in violation of sub-rule [i] [ii] & [iii] of Rule 3 of the Sikkim Government Servant’s Conduct Rules, 1981… You are, therefore, directed to submit in writing, within 7 days from the date of receipt of this Notice as to why disciplinary action should not be initiated against you failing which your service shall be terminated without further notice…”
Similar notices were served to Mr. Gurung, a graduate teacher [Bio-Sc.] and Mr. Pandey, a primary teacher in the same school.
Mr. Rao further said, “Now the matter is open in the public, we are taking immediate action.”
He adds, “At present we are discussing whether to serve direct termination letters or suspension orders.”
On filling up the seats of the two students, Mr. Rao said, “A high-level discussion will be initiated whether to give chance to genuine students, Bal Kumar Chettri who stood first and Anvesh Chettri who stood second at the school or to pull up next two students on merit list, who are on the waiting list.”
It is known that, Government had spent around Rs. 2.7 crores for the scheme this year against last year’s around 90 lakhs.
It is indeed a shame on the part of teachers who were involved in this. This also causes a blur in the step of the pro-poor government which implemented the scheme for uplifting the students from poorer families in the state. This scheme was applauded by everyone in the state.
ReplyDeleteGovernment cannot alone monitor every thing. It is felt that more public participation is needed for the good functioning of the Government and equally more public participation is required to curb out many social injustices that are paralyzing the structure of the Sikkimese society. As a simple citizen, what I feel is that time has come to leap forward for eradicating the prevailing practices of corruption, deceit, substance abuse, immoral trades etc which are maligning the image of the Government and at the same time, destroying the respect and dignity the State of Sikkim has owned world-wide.
Government, in any country or states, is the agency which implements the schemes for the benefit of its citizens, but people participation is also strongly felt in the modern times. Only then the meaning of true democracy is realized.
So far the department is concerned, which acts as a nodal agency for the Government, could have thoroughly gone for the screening of the students, their family background, the financial strata of their parent etc, who benefited from the scheme. A very systematic approach in selecting the candidates should have been followed.
Anyway, it is a welcome step of the department to punish those culprits and the same is expected in the future also. There are still more injustices for which every concerned citizens of Sikkim to come forward and save the respect and image the Government and the People of Sikkim has owned.
Mahendra Dulal
Sang Chhalamthang
East Sikkim