SRINAGAR, Oct 6: A deputation of the Jammu Kashmir Teachers’ Joint Action Committee (JKTJAC), led by UT Chairman Saleem Sagar, UT General Secretary Najam Jafri and UT Vice President Aaftab Malik, met Education Minister Sakina Masood Itoo at her office chamber in the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar, on Tuesday.
During the meeting, Saleem Sagar welcomed the decision of the government to extend the benefit of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) to employees covered under Government Order No. 305, particularly those whose advertisements were issued before 2010 but whose appointments were made after January 1, 2010.
Sagar urged the Education Minister to extend the same benefit to Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers who were appointed before January 1, 2010 and subsequently regularised as General Line Teachers after 2010. He argued that their original advertisements did not contain any provision regarding the New Pension Scheme. He also referred to Government Order No. 115-Edu of 2008 dated February 29, 2008, under which five years of ReT service were counted for pensionary benefits.
Najam Jafri also urged the government to extend the benefit of the Old Pension Scheme to employees appointed on or after January 1, 2010, stating that such a measure would provide greater financial security to employees during their post-retirement years.
Aaftab Malik raised the issue of pending regularisation cases of Education Volunteers (EVs), stating that several files have remained pending with the Administrative Department for a considerable period. He sought the Minister’s intervention for early clearance of the cases and regularisation of the affected teachers.
He also raised the issue of granting post-facto permission to undergraduate teachers who have subsequently acquired the required degrees, enabling them to seek conversion to Teacher Grade-III.
After hearing the deputation, Education Minister Sakina Masood Itoo assured the JKTJAC leadership that the issues raised would be examined and addressed at the earliest. She also assured the delegation that the matter concerning the Old Pension Scheme would be taken up with the Chief Minister.
The deputation included Surjit Chib, Rajesh Jamwal, Sham Sharma, Sukesh Khajuria, Khazan Singh, Azamat Iqbal, Sandeep Sharma, Sheikh Irshad, Vipen Raina, Nazir Ahmed Poshpori, Mir Majid, Mudasir Ahmad, Abdul Majeed Khan, Irshid Hussain, Showkat Ahmad, Ravinder Manhas, Prashant Sharma, Rajeet Singh, Mohd Yusaf Shah, Majid Khan, Shahin Shoket, Javed Pathan, Maan Singh, Fayad Ahmad, Khursid Ahmad, Gulzar Ahmad, among others.