Dir Education forced to implement all controversial transfer orders

Powerful women turn ‘Year Against Corruption’ into a big joke

Ahmed Ali Fayyaz

SRINAGAR, Jul 13: Transfer orders of nearly 1,000 government schoolteachers in Kashmir Division, that had been issued by Director Education Shagufta Parveen but put in abeyance by Commissioner-Secretary of School Education, Naseem Lankar, have been finally implemented by officiating DSE, Kashmir, Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed. Reportedly under tremendous pressure from the kitchen of a ministerial bungalow, Mr Mushtaq has withdrawn the abeyance orders and directed all the subordinate Chief Education Officers and Principals of High and Higher Secondary schools to ensure joining and relieving of all the transferred teachers at once.

Vide Order No: 1167-DSEK of 2011 dated 16-6-2011 and Order No: 1184-DSEK dated 17-6-2011, Director of School Education Kashmir, Shagufta Parveen, had ordered promotions and subsequently transfer and appointment orders of nearly 800 teachers. In the wake of serious allegations of corruption and confirmation of such reports by a Police intelligence agency, Commissioner-Secretary School Education, Mrs Naseem Lankar, had put in abeyance transfer orders of all the 1000-odd teachers and clerks vide Government Order No: 372-Edu of 2011 dated 21-6-2011.

According to authoritative sources, Mrs Parveen had conducted entire exercise of the mega transfers for two nights before proceeding on a mid-career training course for IAS officers of 1999 batch in Mussorrie, Singapore and Malaysia last month. Quoting knowledgeable men in bureaucracy, sources said that transactions worth over Rs 1.00 Crore had taken place around the controversial reshuffle. According to these sources, as many as 52 corrigendum orders were issued in 48 hours.

Mrs Lankar was put under tremendous pressure to withdraw the abeyance orders and get the transfer orders implements by the officiating DSE, Kashmir, Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed. However, she avoided the ‘directions’ till she herself proceeded on leave in connection with the marriage ceremony of her daughter.

As reported in Early times in its issue dated July 11^th, both, officiating Commissioner-Secretary G A Pir, as well as officiating DSE, Kashmir, Sheikh Mushtaq Ahmed, were later put under pressure to issue the orders, issued from June 16^th to June 18^th, without any modification. Even as both the officials, enjoying reputation of honesty and integrity, initially avoided the ‘instructions’ from the kitchen of a ministerial bungalow, with the argument that the exercise be conducted through Mrs Lankar and Mrs Parveen after they join back in a few days, both finally gave in on July 12^th.

Under instructions from a top power corridor, officiating Commissioner-Secretary of School Education, G A Pir, withdrew Mrs Lankar’s abeyance order vide Govt Order No: 409-Edu of 2011 dated 12-7-2011. Within an hour, officiating DSE, Kashmir, Sheikh Mushtaq issued Order No: 1304-DSEK of 2011 dated 12-7-2011, asking all the CEOs, headmasters of High Schools and Principals of Higher Secondary Schools to enforce joining and relieving of all the transferred teachers.

Without explaining the reasons behind the abeyance orders of June 21^st and the withdrawal orders of July 12^th, DSE, Kashmir, in partial modification of the transfer orders of June 16^th and 17^th, ordered stop-gap posting of 60 more incumbent teachers as Masters for six months or till their formal promotion by Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC).

With this, as many as 797 teachers, elevated to the senior levels, have been directed to immediately move to their next places of posting. Under the original orders of June 16^th, 736 trained graduate and post-graduate teachers were promoted as Masters and posted in different districts of Kashmir valley and Ladakh.

END