SHILLONG: A teacher of BSF Primary School, Umpling , who served the school for 23 years , was terminated from service by the BSF authorities and they even went to the extent of filing a case (caveat) in the lower court and the High Court fearing that the teacher would seek legal redress. The KG teacher, Jayshree Thapa with qualification of BA/BEd from Nongmensong had earlier written to the BSF authorities in Shillong and Delhi seeking their intervention, but in vain.
According to the BSF, since she was appointed on a temporary basis, the authorities had fixed an interview in February this year.
Thapa, however, had written to the BSF that she would not be able to attend the interview since she was unwell.
The BSF claimed that the interview was for appointment of fresh teachers on temporary basis and enhancement of salary of already appointed teachers.
“Teachers are appointed after the selection by the Board for re-appointment and enhancement of salary”, the BSF had said.
She was given termination letter twice by the chairman of BSF primary school and it was not accepted by her, the BSF claimed.
However, the stand of Thapa is that the termination letter issued on May 3 this year to her was not accepted since it was without the name of the officer signing the letter and there was no designation and official stamp of the officer.
According to Thapa, the chairman of the school had not personally given the termination letter to her and it was sent to her by a newly appointed junior ad hoc teacher.
“The termination letter was in half sheet of paper and not in a letter format”, she said. Thapa said when she joined the school in 1994, she was paid just Rs 800 and before her termination, she was availing Rs 8,000 per month. She deplored that just to save Rs 8,000, the BSF authorities had to terminate her.
The teacher suspected foul play in the appointment of teachers and the principal by the BSF authorities which according to her needs public scrutiny.
Thapa through various letters to several concerned authorities had said she was humiliated as the chairman, BSF primary school, Umpling issued termination order through caveat filed in the court of assistant deputy commissioner and in the High Court of Meghalaya on February 22.
“The only reason was that I could not attend the teachers’ interview on February 10 which was held for the first time in my 23 years of service and that too along with the interview for appointment of ad hoc teachers”, Thapa said.
According to Thapa, applications were filed with connected certificates well in advance citing the reasons for the inability to attend the interview.
Thapa on February 9 had written to the chairman of BSF primary school seeking the reason for holding the interview since she was serving the school for the last 23 years on a regular basis without any interruption.
Thapa pointed out that two regular teachers with more than 20 years of service and one adhoc teacher with more than 7 years of service were terminated in February and earlier, a permanent headmistress resigned in 2017 and another adhoc headmistress also resigned in 2018.
Thapa had in May this year petitioned the Principal Secretary PMO, Secretary Ministry of Home Affairs, BSF DG, Delhi, BSF IG cum chairman of BSF Primary School , Umpling and others,
According to Thapa, after the resignation of adhoc headmistress, neither any interview was called nor the post advertised for the new appointment unlike in the past.
She apprised the authorities that BSF primary school, Umpling has an adhoc teacher as the headmistress with two years of experience , while other adhoc teachers are having the experience of one year and below six months. Thapa asserted that the purpose of airing the grievances is not to re-instate her service, but to reveal that justice was not done even after serving 23 years in the school.
She also urged the BSF authorities for encashment of accumulated earned leave of 140 days, Employees Provident Fund and others.