87 Patna School Teachers Found Absent During Inspection, Not to Get Salary of One Day
According to a senior official, 87 teachers from government schools in Bihar's Patna district will face a deduction of one day's salary as ordered by the authorities. These teachers were found absent during inspections conducted over the past five days. The directive to deduct their salaries came from Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) K K Pathak of the Education Department, who instructed all district magistrates to regularly inspect government schools starting from July 1. The ACS emphasized the immediate deduction of a day's salary for those absent without a valid reason. Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh informed PTI that the Patna district administration has taken action against the 87 teachers by deducting their salaries. The inspections were carried out four times since July 1. Additionally, the district administration has recommended disciplinary measures against the absentee teachers.
Furthermore, the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), which is responsible for school and teacher education, issued a similar directive. They ordered the deduction of a day's salary for lecturers posted in Purnea and Darbhanga districts who were absent during virtual meetings called by senior officials on July 5. The district magistrate mentioned that inspections are being conducted in all schools within Patna district at least twice a week, following a letter from the education department. Out of the 3,486 institutes, 487 were inspected on Wednesday, and 10 teachers were found absent. Singh himself conducted some of the inspections in the district headquarters town.
The education department recently issued a series of orders, including frequent inspections by district authorities. Moreover, department officials of various ranks must obtain direct permission from the ACS to travel outside their district headquarters, even for court appearances. The ACS also instructed the district authorities to assess the implementation of the mid-meal scheme, condition of toilets, and availability of drinking water during school inspections.