MP: Row over teachers being deployed as personal staff to several MLAs

Amidst reports of shortage of teachers in state schools, it has been recently revealed by the General Administration Department that at least 10 MLAs in the state have deployed teachers as their personal staff.

In fact, many other MLAs have been demanding that teachers be deployed as their personal staff.

Recently, the General Administration Department, in its reply in the Assembly, issued a list of 10 MLAs who have deployed teachers as their personal staff. Out of these 10 MLAs, nine legislators were from the Congress while one was from BJP.

Congress MLA Phundelal Marko from Pushparaajgarh has added his wife and government teacher Premwati Singh Marko to his personal staff team.

Similarly, Congress legislator from Badwara, Vijay Raghavendra Singh, has included his relative, who is a teacher, among his staff.

Rules formed under the Right to Education Act 2009 prohibit teachers from being deployed for non-teaching work.

Asked to comment on the issue, minister Govind Singh said, "As far I know, this order was not passed by Kamal Nath government. The teachers were deployed as personal staff of MLAs when BJP was in power. We do not have shortage of teachers in the state."

Another state minister Dr Prabhu Ram Choudhary told ANI, "We have written a letter to the concerned department that teachers should not be deployed in any other work. There could be an exceptional case. We are trying that teachers should go to schools and teach there."

Reacting to the development, BJP leader Rajnish Agarwal said that it was decided that the teachers will not be deployed for non-teaching job.

"Despite this, teachers have been deployed for non-teaching work. On one hand, there is a shortage of teachers, more than 50,000 teachers are yet to be hired...the examinations for the same have been conducted but the results have not been declared. So while several schools are running without teachers but they are making teachers do unnecessary work," he said.

Asked about some of the BJP MLAs also resorting to deploying teachers as their personal staff, he said, "It doesn't matter who the MLA or MP is. It is about policy decision. And you (Congress government) are working in a direction opposite to that."

As per reports, over 2,600 primary schools and almost 2,000 middle schools are operating without regular teachers in the state.