Teachers undergoing TTI training demand full pay

7-MEMBER COMMITTEE SET UP BY HRDD YET TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE
GANGTOK, 02 Aug: A number of primary teachers and monastic teachers in the state are demanding full pay through the time they spend undergoing the requisite training as stipulated by the State government.
A number of primary and monastic teachers of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan were brought under regular establishment by HRDD in the pay scale of Rs. 4,200-110-6,400 w.e.f. 01 April 2009 on the condition that they complete a two-year TTI course from a recognized Institute within five years from the date of joining and the time taken to complete the course was to be treated as probation period. A number of primary teachers, as informed, are undergoing this 2 year diploma course at DIET.
The issue arises as such teachers under training are being provided half pay as was earlier decided by the government. There was a departmental directive that sanctioned the training period as study leave with provision of half pay. However, teachers undergoing training have been demanding full pay from the Department as they see their training not as study leave but as ‘in-service training’.
The two-year TTI passed certificate is a prerequisite for a primary teacher under the recruitment rules for Primary Teachers.
It has also come to light that another category of primary and monastic teachers undergoing 2 year TTI courses have been drawing full pay as they are simultaneously informed to be rendering their service in their respective schools. This set of teachers is informed to be undergoing their training from IGNOU distance mode.
The other set of primary and monastic teachers are undergoing training at DIET and are required to be present at the institute and so are not teaching in their respective schools and are receiving half pay. It is further informed that there is another set of senior primary teachers also attending the 2 year course at DIET who are being paid in full as they were appointed when the prerequisite of a 2 year TTI certificate was not required.
It is informed that a committee was set up in June 2012 by the department to look into the matter and address the grievance of the teachers getting half pay for their study leave. The aggrieved teachers have also made a representation to the state government for grant of full pay during their training period as they feel they are undergoing in-service training and not study leave. The committee is to recommend a solution for the government to take a policy decision on the matter.
The committee had a couple of meetings in July to sort out the issue but it is yet to be ascertained whether a resolution was finalized. In fact during one of the meetings, the committee noted that the department had supported the teachers by way of reserving 50 seats at a time in DIET to accommodate them for the course. This is a 7-member committee headed by the Additional Secretary, HRDD.