Port Blair, July 27: Mr. Kuldeep Rai Sharma, Member of Parliament, A&N Islands has requested Chief Secretary, A&N Administration to re-engage 72 Short Term Contract teachers for the academic session 2020-2021 since their engagement concluded on 30.04.2020 who were working since academic session 2018-2019 for teaching various subjects in the distantly and remotely located Inter Island schools of the administration across A&N Islands.
He informed that with the commencement of the academic session 2020-2021 from 17.07.2020 in these A&N Islands, the regular teachers and supporting staff have started attending the school at their respective place of posting for performing their duties. The students for the time being are not attending the schools due to COVID-19 pandemic and are totally dependent on distant learning, the need for individual monitoring and evaluation is must which can be done only by posting the teachers in the schools. As all these 72 short term contract teachers belongs to the schools located in the remote inter Island region of our Union Territory, for the above stated reasons their re-engagement seems to be obvious.
He further said that during the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic scenario, the Central Government, has advised all the employers of public/private establishments to extend their coordination by not terminating their employees, particularly casual or contractual workers with a view to provide financial security in the present time of prevailing national disaster. Hence, keeping in view of unprecedented nature of circumstances and the need of imparting education to students residing in rural areas of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the prevailing COVID-19 scenario, Mr. Sharma, MP requested the Chief Secretary to consider for re-engaging all these 72 short term contract teachers in the Directorate of Education for academic session 2020-2021.