SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, June 13: The School Education and Literacy department recently released the revised Appointment, Promotion and Service Condition Rules 2022. The new rules showcase changes made by the state government including one which states that Sahayak Shikshak (Assistant Teachers) will now be called Sahayak Aacharya (Assistant Teacher). Another point highlights the pay scale decrease in case of new appointments.
Meanwhile, teachers all over the state have pointed out several other issues related to the new rules. President of the Teacher’s Association, Vijendra Chaubey, while talking to a lagatar24.com correspondent said, “Under the new appointment rules, in elementary schools, it will take 10 years for teachers to be appointed to the post of assistant professor to get the current pay scale of the old elementary teachers.”
He added, “After 10 years of service, they will be given the present basic pay scale of grade pay 4200 and 4600 on the availability of the post in the school of excellence, whereas at present the number of such schools in the entire state is only 400.”
Notably, provision has also been made in the manual for the promotion of teachers of the Assistant Acharya cadre. It will be done on district-wise vacant posts in Jharkhand Model-Excellent Elementary School Assistant Teacher Cadre. For this, a teacher will have to compulsorily serve at least 10 years on the post of Assistant Shikshak.
Chaubey further explained, “Due to two cadres of teachers working in the same school under the old higher pay scale and the new lower pay scale, the demand for equal pay for equal work will arise, inferiority complex will arise in the new teachers, and this will affect the efficiency, unity will be broken.”
Under the new appointment rules, the promotion of intermediate-trained Assistant Acharya will be done from level four to level five of the pay scale. Similarly, the promotion of graduate-trained Assistant Acharya can be done from level five to level seven of the pay scale. At present, inter-trained Assistant Shikshak and graduate-trained Assistant Shishak working in elementary schools get the pay scale of these levels respectively.
Talking of the changes in pay scale, he said that under the new appointment, Primary (1 to 5) and Upper Primary will get the pay scale of fitment table with grade pay 2400 and 2800 whereas at present the fitment table pay scale with grade pay 4200 and 4600 will be available.
He said, “The new pay scale is the pay scale of the peon, while the 5th pay commission has been told to give a progressive pay scale to attract the talent in this field.”
Here, the pay scale of both the categories of teachers is 9300-34800 and the grade pay is 4200 and 4600 respectively. At the same time, the pay scale of inter-trained Assistant Acharya and graduate-trained Assistant Acharya has been fixed at 25,500 and 28,200 (and other allowances) respectively. Provision has also been made in the new rules that if Assistant Acharya does not get a promotion within the prescribed period of 10 years, they will get the benefit of the senior pay scale in 12 years and selection in 24 years.
