PAC pulls up education dept over college’s affairs

By Our Reporter

SHILLONG, AUG 1: The Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has pulled the state education department over the sorry state of affairs in the Kiang Nangbah Government College (KNGC) which has in the past two months witnessed “exodus” of teachers due to non-payment of salaries.

The PAC has directed the department to address the various problems inflicting the smooth functioning of the college within a month’s time.

“There has been exodus of teachers teaching in the morning section for higher secondary level as out of 15 appointed (on contractual basis) 7 have resigned,” PAC chairman Paul Lyngdoh told reporters after a meeting which summoned the officials of education department and the PWD (building) here.

Stating that this has left the departments of English and Mathematics with no teachers for past two months, he said, “The overall condition of the college is unsatisfactory and this is because these teachers are being paid a meager salary of Rs 5,000 thereby forcing them to leave the profession.”

Moreover, Lyngdoh said the education department has also failed to regularly release the salary of these teachers on a quarterly basis even as he added that the salary was paid after a gap of 11 months.

The total staff strength of the Kiang Nangbah Government College which is located at Jowai, the district headquarters of West Jaintia Hills District, about 62 kilometers away from here, is 95.

However, the PAC was also extremely disturbed by the revelation that 26 teaching staff and 9 non-teaching staff, who have been working for the past one year against the non-sanctioning posts, have not received their salary for the past ten months since October, last year.

“There was no assurance from the department concerned that these posts will be sanctioned,” he said.

He however said that according to the principal of the college, a proposal has been submitted to the department on January earlier this year to get these posts sanctioned adding but there has been a delay for approving the same.

Also, he said that another proposal for enhancing the salaries of contractual teachers to Rs 15,000 has also gathered dust in the department.

“We are apprehensive that if the posts are not sanctioned and the staff remained unpaid they may not continue to work in the college and this will have a negative impact on the functioning of the college and on the standard of quality education.

Earlier, the PAC also slammed the education department represented by its Secretary WR Lyngdoh for not being able to reply to the various queries put forth by its members.

“However, the secretary of education has committed to the PAC that he would submit a report based upon which we will take a decision,” Lyngdoh said.

Further, the committee has also sought a report on the construction of the Boy’s Hostel which 40 per cent of the work remained incomplete and the delay in construction of the proposed extension of college building which Rs 2 crore was sanctioned under the Rashtriya Uchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA).

Earlier, the PAC had written to the education department in which over Rs 1.12 crore under the state funds was sanctioned on March this year.

“Today, the officials informed the committee that works for the 40 per cent remaining work was resumed by a contractor who earlier stopped the construction due to non sanction of fund,” he said.

On the other hand, the Committee has also directed the department to immediately make functional the Girl’s Hostel which construction was completed a year ago. The delay was because the proposal for appointment of a warden has been hanging fire but now this has gone to the department for sanctioning, Lyngdoh said.

Meanwhile while summoning up the meeting, the PAC pointed out lack of coordination at all levels, right from the college, directorate and the department, where they are in a situation that the left hand not know what the right hand was doing.

“We have given a month’s time for the education department to submit a report on action taken to address these problems faced by the college,” Lyngdoh said.

It may be mentioned, the Public Accounts Committee had taken cognizance on the matter based on the complaint put forth by the Kiang Nangbah Government College Students’ Union (KNGCSU).