ITANAGAR, 21 June: The Arunachal Teachers’ Association (ATA) has sought revocation of the appointment of Special Secretary Soumya Saurabh as the director-in-charge of elementary education within seven days.
In a letter to Chief Minister Pema Khandu, the ATA informed that its central executive committee and officials of the directorate of secondary and elementary education strongly oppose the decision of the government to appoint an IAS officer to the post of director of elementary education.
The ATA and officials of the directorate of secondary and elementary education argued that “the move of the government is against the precedence rule maintained in the department, wherein the senior-most joint director becomes the in-charge director in case of a vacancy.”
“As per the Arunachal Pradesh Education Act, 2009-10, to become a teacher, BEd, APTET/CTET qualification is mandatory and the post of director in the education department follows the same norms and
the promoted person must come from a teaching background,” it said and demanded that “the senior-most joint director of the directorate of elementary education should be appointed as in-charge director of elementary education till the appointment of a regular director through DPC.”
The ATA also demanded that the government scrap the post of special education secretary as there are several subordinate officers of IAS/APCS cadre working below the rank of education commissioner, which it said “is an unnecessary financial burden to the government exchequer.”
The association also opposed the idea of merging the directorates of secondary education and elementary education, and appealed to the government to revoke the cabinet decision of 2 June, 2019.
It instead demanded complete bifurcation of the directorates of secondary education and the elementary education at the district and block levels.
The ATA also cautioned that it may begin a series of democratic movements and initiate non-cooperation movement against the government if the government fails to fulfil its demands within the stipulated time.
