Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (KD/NR)

Mangalore, Jun 12: A meeting was held by the special house committee to look into the functioning of school development monitoring committees (SDMCs), at the Deputy Commissioners office near here on Monday, June 12.

At this meeting teachers alleged that they were being punished for financial irregularities allegedly committed by the members of the SDMCs. One teacher in Bantwal taluk was unfairly punished for delay in the distribution of bicycles at her school, said the President of the district unit of the Karnataka Primary School Teacher’s Association Sridhar Ullal.

On three occasions the bicycles were kept ready for distribution to the students but on the pressure from the SDMC members, the bicycles were not distributed. The reason given was that only when the local MLA personally comes and distributes then it should be given away. And he never turned up. This was the major cause of the delay in the distribution of bicycles, but the teacher was made a scapegoat and suspended.

Deputy director of public instruction Shankarappa replied that the teacher had written a letter that the bicycles had been distributed but the enquiry by the Zilla Panchayat members revealed that the bicycles were still at the school. Hence disciplinary action was taken against the teacher, he said.

The special house committee objectives was to ensure such problems could be resolved and  therefore Chairman Nadagouda, MLC asked the officials of the education department  to take an active role in ensuring the welfare of teachers. Officials should conduct meetings with teachers and SDMC members and ensure that the problems were sorted out amicably, he said.