Neglect: Official apathy delays regularization of ZGC’s
Srinagar: In a bizarre move, the school education department has kept the regularisation of Zonal Gender Coordinators (ZGCs) in abeyance despite the committee report favouring their absorption in the department.
The committee report constituted in November last year had favored their absorption in the department against the vacancies in the centrally sponsored Kasturba Gandhi BalikaVidyale (KGBV)-residential schools.
An official dealing with the subject said the committee report was submitted by the director education of both divisions with regard to contribution made by these female contractual appointees towards improvement of female literacy as per the objective envisaged in the national program for education of girls at elementary level (NPEGEL) scheme.
“These gender coordinators were engaged at zonal level by department in 2005 under NPEGEL scheme,” the official said.
He said the scheme was closed few years ago but the report furnished by the directors of education in Jammu and Kashmir region has termed the services as “satisfactory”.
“Both the directors of school education in Jammu and Kashmir region have reported that the overall performance of the ZGCs has remained quite satisfactory,” the official said while referring to the report.
The report was submitted by the state project director Samagra Shiksha to secretary school education department in November last year.
“The report states that the ZGCs have played a significant role in the organization of the programmes like community mobilization, gender sensitization, self-defense training for girls, house hold surveys and Beti Bachaw Beti Padaw besides contribution in identification and enrollment of ST/BPL girls in KGBVs,” the official said.
He said the department has huge number of vacancies in KGBVs against which the authorities can absorb these female workers.
“The department in previous meetings had decided that the future course of action will be taken on the basis of the report provided by both the directors of school education in the context of contribution of Zonal Gender Coordinators in bridging the gender gap. But the issue is still lingering,” the official said.
At present around 97 ZGCs are working in various zones of the state for which department has 159 vacant posts sanctioned in KGBVs.
KV Correspondent
