No vacation for 7,000 teachers unless they beautify schools

Despite the ongoing summer vacation in schools across the state, Anuradha Pawar (name changed), warden-cum-teacher of a government-run residential school in Pune district is busy sweating it out on the school campus these days.

The reason being, she has been given the responsibilty of beautifying the school premises and carrying out minor repair works before the school opens ahead of the new academic session in June. To ensure the job is done, the state government has trimmed her vacation by two weeks. "I am not allowed to proceed on vacation unless all minor repairs and painting work of each and every classroom, boarding, kitchen, toilets and offices is complete," said Pawar. She is also struggling to meet the May 15 deadline stipulated by the government.

However, Pawar is not alone. Over 7,000 teachers of 529 government-run residential institutions have also cancelled their plans to complete the job as per government order. Even non-teaching staff have been barred from going on leave unless the work is finished. In a first, the state government has also restricted staff of all Ashram schools from going on vacation unless they make their campuses student-friendly.

"The objective is to change the image of Ashram schools by making them children-friendly," said a highly placed official from the Tribal Development department. Over two lakh children study in Ashram schools run by the state.

Many of them are in news for the wrong reasons ranging from crumbling infrastructure, lack of toilets and electricity to sexual assault and deaths of children.

While teachers' bodies have resisted the move, the government insists, "Holidays are meant for school children and not for the teachers. Teachers can still have a month of vacation."