Port Blair, April 12: A meeting of the South Andaman Teachers’ Branch of Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association held at Port Blair on 10th April, 2021 reviewed the unprecedented situation developed after the delegation of power to the Director of Education to sanction leave including casual leave and station leaving permission. The meeting noted with concern that the recent order by the A & N Administration dated 17th March,2021 revoking the power delegated to Head of Offices including Zonal Officers and Principals  to sanction leave and station leaving permission to Group B Non Gazetted employees and delegating the same to the Director of  Education stationed at Port Blair has created unprecedented resentment among members of the teaching community. As per the classification of posts by Govt. of India, various categories of teachers including Primary School Teachers are Group B Non-Gazetted. Further they are posted at every nook and corner of the Islands including isolated inhabitant Islands .Now as per the order all these teachers working under the Education Department have to approach the Director of Education for leave including Casual leave which is meant for emergencies like sudden health problems.

Addressing the gathering, the General Secretary of the Association Shri T S Sreekumar said the teachers and other Group B employees posted at out stations are facing difficulty even to submit their leave applications timely to the concerned directorates due to various bottlenecks in communication facilities. The Directorates of various Departments are also under tremendous pressure to cope up with the situation. Shri R Rajendran , President of the Association termed the order as  arbitrary and said the decision regard to Group B Non Gazetted employees was taken without understanding the ground realities .

The meeting adopted a resolution, unanimously, which appealed the A & N Administration to re-delegate the power to sanction leave including casual leave and station leaving permission of Group B Non Gazetted employees to the Head of Offices, as was earlier, considering impracticability of the recent order and hardship of teachers and other Group B employees. The meeting also resolved to resort to all means of peaceful agitation if the administration fails to heed the genuine demand of teaching community. The meeting was chaired by Shri HB Choudhary, Vice President of the Branch. Shri P Jay Murthy, Secretary of SATB, R Surendrean Pillai, R Papa Rao, Sashikumar, Ajay kumar, etc. addressed the meeting.