Teachers Reaction to the Sacking Saga

Indian School sells teachers' release order for RO 350

 

Patron may revoke Memorandum of Understanding between Indian Embassy, Indian School Al Ghubra-- read earlier report

 

 

Parents favour existing School time table, not keen to go for evening schools.

 

The survey conducted by a leading Indian school to decide whether to introduce a different time schedule upto 4 P.M. did not evoke positive response from majority of the parents, who preferred the existing system. In response to the questionnaire send by the school management to the parents, more than 70 per cent in the upper classes have responded negatively to the new time schedule.

 

"Between 70 to 80 per cent parents are not keen to introduced a different time table," said reliable sources. It may be recalled that the proposal to introduce new schedule stretching upto 4 p.m. was objected by the Indian school patron. However, the school was going ahead with the proposal and sought parents view about the same.

 

Indian School teacher Challenges overnight sacking in Labour Court

 

Mohammed Kutty wants RO 2000 Compensation, Claims he is innocent

 

The sacked Indian school Arabic teacher Mohammed Kutty has refuted the allegations made against him by the principal and taken a bold step of questioning the school authorities in the local court.

 

Mohammed Kutty from Calicut, Kerala, an Arabic teacher of a leading prvately managed Indian school has refuted the allegation that he allowed the student to rewrite the answer paper. He has also approached the Indian Embassy and filed a case demanding revokation of the termination order or a compensation of RO 2000 from the school. A court notice has been issued against the school, but the school authorities are allegedly forcing him to withdraw the court case. The court hearing is scheduled for next Sunday.

 

Sources revealed that there was no need to sack a teacher just for giving two minutes extra time for completing the answer sheet. "The principal always tells the teachers to allow students complete their answer sheets even after the exam time is over. For all examinations including the CBSE, the special instruction is to allow students to complete their answer papers," said sources.

Giving additional examination time even for CBSE is a common practice in various Indian schools here, it is alleged.

 

The girl's mother, the second teacher from Karnataka who was sacked overnight, came to the examination hall when her daughter was found crying because she could not complete examination in time. 'In every examination related meetings the principal advises teachers to give extra time to complete answer sheets. It happens in every class," added sources. In this case, the girl was allowed to complete her paper in front of the supervisor. "The girls mother requested the teacher to give her answer sheet so that she could complete it. The student completed the paper in two minutes time in front of the supervisor. Within two minutes what serious offense could happen to warrent overnight sacking of a sincere teacher," added sources.

 

On a previous occasion, when the same teacher denied additional time to two students, the principal has reportedly advised him to give extra time. "Lst year after an examination was over, two girls were crying in the hall and wanted to get extra time. However, Mohammed Kutty did not give them a chance. Then the principal asked him to give explanation for not giving additional time to the students!

 

Mohammed Kutty from Calicut was working as a CBSE teacher in Kerala when he was recruited by the Indian school. For the first four months, he was working in an uncertain working environment on a visit visa. He joined the school after resigning from the CBSE school in Kerala. He was selectied by the Kerala Public Service Commission as a teacher. Since he was working in the Gulf based Indian school, he took long leave from PSC Kerala. If the sacking order is implemented, he will be jobless here and back home for a long period because he cannot terminate the leave before five years.

 

Now he got the sacking order just before completing two years. "Sacking overnight is a common practice in Indian schools. Last year two teachers were sacked for silly reasons," it is alleged. His total retirement benefit will be hardly RO 150. He has no one to support his case in a foreign country. It is also alleged that if the court case is not withdrawn, the influential school management will put his PSC job at stake.

 

Kutty could stay back and file a case because there was no flight yesterday to Kerala. The second lady teacher voluntarily resigned because her husband is working as a manager in one of the companies controlled by the school management. "She has already left the country without raising any objection because her husbands job is at stake," added sources. The Indian school baord has no specific guidelines about sacking school teachers. One of the board member said there was no need to sack a teacher for such silly reasons. (keralamonitor.com)

 

 

Teachers sacked for unethical practice in school examination

(keralamonitor.com) June 6, 2002

The overnight sacking of two teachers and a student by a leading Indian school in the city has been due to grave misuse of their official position to favour one of the victims' daughter in a school examination. According to a section of school staff, the full story is as follows. The daughter of the sacked lady teacher was attending an examination for Arabic. The supervisor happened to be another teacher from the same department.

The lady teacher, (who is also the mother of the student), has allegedly entered the examination room and took her daughter's answer sheet from the supervisor. According to a section of people working in the school, the lady teacher went one step further and made the supervisor replace the original answer sheet and replace it with the new answer sheet written by her daughter after the examination. If this allegation is true, then the lady teacher, the supervisor and the student should have been sacked on the spot! Keralamonitor.com fully endorse the sacking, if it is for this reason.

The fact that the school authorities have been fast enough to take such tough action against two totally immoral and illegal action by the school staff, is highly praiseworthy. Even when keralamonitor.com reported the sacking story, we had full information about the story. Instead of getting into new controversies, we sought the opinion of the school freternity before releasing the full story. Teachers are supposed to be impartial and people of high integrity. By allowing her daughter to correct the answer sheet and replace it with the original paper was a criminal act that needs to get the toughest punishment. By favouring her daughter, the teacher concerned has cheated all other students who appeared in the same examination. According to school rules, teachers have to maintain high level of integrity and impartiality.

Such prompt punitive actions highlight the management's concern about the highly ethical standards to be maintained in conducting examinations. The same level of alertness is required in monitoring the involvement of teachers who are also acting as tuition masters for students. Earlier Keralamonitor.com reported about tuition syndicates which used to leak out school question papers selectively to their own private tuition students. People also tell stories about a high level official Who used to leak out question papers for a fees. Even thought that official is no more in the scene, everyone needs to be alert about such unethical practices in schools.

However, sacking large number of teachers just to replace them with a new set of people who are willing to work at a lower salary is highly deplorable. Especially when it is done by a school which has the strongest financial muscle and charges the highest fees. According to service rules, teachers can be sacked only at the end of each academic year, unless and until they are involved in any criminal activity. Without proper reasons, no school management or principal has the right to sack teachers overnight. Those who are doing it forcefully are doing it illegally. (keralamonitor.com)

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Indian School 'sell's teachers' release order for RO 350

(keralamonitor.com) June 6, 2002

There is another sad story of a male science teacher of an Indian School , in Muscat who wanted to leave for a better job in Muscat. Since the salary offered for teachers is too poor, comparable to some of the low level jobs, they will be looking for better prospects. Even if schools can sack teachers overnight, the teachers cannot voluntarily leave a school for better prospects!

The male teacher has been victimised jointly by the newly appointed school management committee and the principal. The locally appointed school teacher managed to get a posting in the Ministry of Defence, at double the salary currently drawn from the school. As it is the end of academic year, he sought a release order from the school management to take up the new job. Many companies do issue release order to their employees who get better jobs. However, in this case, the school principal, the new president and the majority of school management committee were firmly determined that the teacher should not be given a release order at any cost.!

As reported earlier, the fate of about 18 teachers of a leading privately run Indian school is hanging in balance because the management wants to sack them overnight and recruit teachers from India who are willing to work at a lower salary. The sacking is also because the school does not want to spend more money on their family status and other benefits.

If the schools can sack any teacher at the end of an academic year for economic reasons (for bringing in new low paid staff), is it not fair on the part of teachers to seek better job openings and leave peacefully?. Many teachers feel that they should be given a fair chance to seek better opportunities elsewhere. After too much persuation and the interference of the School patron, the Indian Ambassador the male teacher was given a release order. But ultimately, the school principal asked him to pay three months salary back to the school because, going by the rule book, an employee has to give three months notice period. But many of the staff told keralamonitor.com that such an incident is unprecedented in the school history. As the teacher concerned had to get release order on time to grab a job, he had no other option but to pay the money demanded by the principal and the school president.

Is it because they are not satisfied with the fees collected from students that they started fleecing the academic staff also! The school should have considered the vacation as his notice period and relieved the teacher. Is it because the school patron has asked the school management to issue a release order and help the poor teacher live a better life elsewhere that the management decided to act in this inhuman way? All the above issues highlight the need for better living conditions and bargaining power for school teachers and civilized behaviour on the part of school management committees. (keralamonitor.com)

Are teachers like Construction Workers who can be hired and fired overnight?

In traditional India, Guru (teacher) was considered by the society as equivalent to God. In the 21st century, they are treated as the least respected professionals by some of the Indian schools in the Gulf. The teaching community working for various Indian schools in the Gulf are sometimes treated at par with the construction workers! They get the lowest salary comparable to drivers and barbers, lack basic facilities and an face an utter lack of job security..Full Report