Director Education department tells Punjab teachers: No foreign visits, childcare leaves only after medical certificate till March

Amid the education department’s push to reduce the number of students who fail in the examinations, Director of Education Department (Secondary Education) has directed the district education officers and school heads across the state to not approve the leave applications by teaching and non-teaching staff at the government schools for foreign travel and childcare.

Amid the education department’s push to reduce the number of students who fail in the examinations, Director of Education Department (Secondary Education) has directed the district education officers and school heads across the state to not approve the leave applications by teaching and non-teaching staff at the government schools for foreign travel and childcare.

There are a total of 1,12,927 teachers across 19,138 primary and upper primary government schools in the state. (Representational photo)

The order said it is mandatory for staff to produce a certificate from the civil surgeon’s office to obtain childcare leave. The orders have been issued for the month of January to March. It said that as the period ahead of final examinations is crucial, it is important for the staff to remain present at the schools.

There are a total of 1,12,927 teachers across 19,138 primary and upper primary government schools in the state.

The orders came in the backdrop of the “Mission 100 per cent” launched by the minister for school education Harjot Singh Bains. The department had recently directed to depute as many as 749 teachers back in schools, who have been working as block mentors and district mentors of Science, Mathematics and English, Social Studies in the state-run government schools.

Echoing the same, the principal of the government senior secondary school Shahpur, Davinder Singh Chhina said as the syllabus was reduced in the last two years due to the pandemic, it is important for the teachers to give their best.