Senior lab attendants deputed at government senior secondary schools running in double shifts have claimed that despite several appeals to the state department of education, their timings are still not on a par with that of senior lab attendants deputed in single shift schools, and for the extra working hours, they are not provided with any earned leaves and other benefits.
They alleged that they made to perform all other duties apart from being in the laboratory, for which they were recruited. A senior lab attendant, requesting anonymity, informed that senior lab attendants working in double shift schools have to perform their duties from 9 am to 5 pm. “If we work for such long hours, then we must be given some additional benefits or incentives like earned leaves that every teacher gets if they are deputed during vacations. From 2022, we are given books distribution duties in blocks during summer vacations,” he said.
He mentioned that they are not even aware of the equipment available in the laboratories as they hardly are in the premises. “Teachers themselves have to manage in the laboratories as we are most of the time, somewhere out of the school performing other duties,” he added.
Dinesh Kumar, district president of Senior Lab Attendants’ Union, said they have presented their demands in written to the department of secondary education in 2023 regarding change in their working hours, revision of their grade pay and to change the nomenclature of their post from senior lab attendants to senior lab assistants, but nothing has been done as of now.
{{/usCountry}}Dinesh Kumar, district president of Senior Lab Attendants’ Union, said they have presented their demands in written to the department of secondary education in 2023 regarding change in their working hours, revision of their grade pay and to change the nomenclature of their post from senior lab attendants to senior lab assistants, but nothing has been done as of now.
{{/usCountry}}Another senior lab attendant said, “We perform booth level officer (BLO) duties, clerical duties and are also required to update the attendance register by taking a count from each class every single day and then also, even for a medical leave, we have to hustle a lot. Despite devoting extra hours as compared to the senior lab attendants in single shift schools, what we get in return is nothing.”
When questioned on the same, Paramjeet Singh, directorate of secondary education, remarked, “This decision is to be taken at the government level, and is already under consideration.”