Chandigarh education dept removes hierarchy for four posts of deputy director

There will be no hierarchy now in the deputy directors’ posts in the education department as the UT administration has changed the ‘nomenclature’ of the senior-most

There will be no hierarchy now in the deputy directors’ posts in the education department as the UT administration has changed the ‘nomenclature’ of the senior-most posts in the education cadre, it has been learnt. Instead of four separate posts of deputy directors – for school education (DDSE); vocational education (DDVE) and adult education (DDAE) I and II, now these officials will be designated as deputy directors.

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However, the timing of the order, on January 3, raises questions because of a legal battle between former district education officer (DEO) Anujit Kaur and current DEO Alka Mehta at Panjab and Haryana high court (HC). Kaur had sought the quashing of her transfer from the post of DEO to DDAE-I even as Mehta, earler working as DDAE II, had succeeded her.

DEO is one rank lower than deputy director.

The January 3 order issued by the education secretary, Arun Kumar Gupta reads, “In continuation of approval of worthy advisor to the administrator, following existing posts of deputy director (which carries the same pay scale) with different nomenclature are here-by re-designated as Deputy Director in the office of Directors School Education, Chandigarh Administration so as to utilise these posts properly and in the public interest.”

It rationalises, “The distribution of work among Deputy Directors will be made separately. All these posts are equal and equivalent for all intents and purposes and the incumbents are transferable and interchangeable.”

Anujit Kaur in her petition before the central administrative tribunal (CAT) had sought for quashing of the UT’s order dated November 26, 2019, whereby she had been transferred from the post of the DEO to the DDAE-I whereas Alka Mehta, who earlier working as DDAE-II, was posted as DEO in her place.

An important outcome of the order is that all three posts are now seen as equal with officials transferable and interchangeable.

A UT education department official on condition of anonymity said, “It is not clear if UT has the power to change the nomenclature of the post like that or not as government of India approvals are required for the same.”

Notably, the government of India instructions, released on 12 April 2017 and adopted by the UT in August 2018 regarding compendium of instructions for creation, revival, continuation and transfer of posts reads, “A post sanctioned for a specific purpose in an organization may not be diverted for another purpose at the same or different station. Cases of transfer/diversion/adjustment of the posts would amount to the creation of new post with simultaneous abolition of the existing post and prior approval of the department of expenditure; the ministry of finance is required for the same.”

The post was created in February 2013 among 1130 other posts in the education department, UT Chandigarh.

The officer on the post of deputy director has important duties as he/she acts as a reporting officer, reviewing officer and accepting officer for the annual confidential report of group A, B, and C employees of the education cadre besides other administrative duties.

Director school education Rubinderjit Singh Brar did not respond to queries. However, a senior official at the education department told the Hindustan Times that the department with the approval of officials can change the nomenclature of the post. “We don’t need the nod of GOI as we are not creating a new post. All these posts are on the same pay scale. We are just changing the names.”