MACP APPROVED FOR NON TEACHING STAFF

MACP was approved for Non Teaching Staff on 11/11/2010. A circular to that effect was issued by JC(P&E). The fate of teaching staff is not clear! The circular has no mention about that!!

It was expected in the month of Sept (view my previous post) that MACP would be implemented soon or later. We felt it was almost a certainty. Though this is a good news for our non teaching brothers,it has a dampening effect on the spirits of teaching staff.  PRC has recommended three stages  for teaching community and two stages for other staff with twelve year period for each stage. Govt notification has altered it into three stages for all the staff with ten year period for each stage. Now Samiti has accorded it only for Non Teaching Staff!!

We can't rule out  it would be extended for teaching community in the future. Considering our past experience of babu's way of (mis)interpretation of recommendations when it comes to teaching community, as in the case of EL and HPL conversion, we can't be so sure about it!

Where is the JAC?

It was a sudden unprecedented euphoria rising like a tidal wave that we witnessed just before the planned strike. Calling Off of Strike even when none of our demands were met dampened the spirits. Ensuing weeks ensured a kind of cautious optimism as JAC promised future action. Gradually the despondency and disillusionment is setting in! JAC seemed to have its untimely death!!
AINVSA  groups are trying to gather their strengths to consolidate their own positions! Intellectuals with insight such as T Surya Prakash (ex-General Secretary (REC) NVSEWA Hyderabad Region) have decided to distance them selves from these power consolidation exercises.Staff are being transferred on Administrative grounds but nobody knows as those orders are not put on website. Promotions are given.Request transfers are allowed even after an official ban on transfers!! Still no body knows. Website is being used only for  academic circulars. Are we compelled back into the non transparent and dark Navodaya days that existed a decade ago?

DECKS CLEARED FOR INTRODUCTION OF MACP SCHEME.

While Central Government Employees are enjoying the benefits of MACP (Modified Assured Carrier Progression Scheme), NVS employees are being made to wait for 12 years for seniority scale. A recent circular by the DOPT (OM No.35034/3/2010-Estt. (D) on 3rd August, 2010) has approved the extension of the scheme to autonomous organizations with a few conditions:

 (i)       The earlier ACP Scheme was also implemented/adopted by the said Autonomous/Statutory Body.
      (ii)       The proposal to adopt MACP Scheme has been approved by the Governing Body/Board of Directors.
      (iii)       The Administrative Ministry/Financial Adviser of the Ministry has concurred with the proposal.
      (iv)       The financial implications of adoption of MACP Scheme have been taken into account by the Organisation/Body and the additional financial implications can be met by it within the existing Budget Grants.

NVS can easily fulfill the conditions including the last condition. So we can expect an order at the earliest from Samiti extending the benefit.  How early depends on how sincere is our administration  about our welfare!

Navodaya students need it more than anybody else

Unveiling of $35 prototype tablet computer by HRD Minister Mr Kapil Sibal,raised lots of hopes across the world. To see a sample of reaction you can click here. It is a well known fact that Navodaya Children are growing up away from the world outside and everybody agrees that they need to be connected. A couple of years back during the US recession, I wrote a post on this blog why especially our children need an ultra cheap laptop (You can read it here ) .

I wish HRD Ministry would select NVS as the first beneficiary as and when the tablet is ready!

Collection of PTC fund violates RTE Act

NVS has been blamed for violation of RTE for JNVST(Please refer to the previous posts). But anothor aspect of our system may also be projected as violation of the RTE Act. Parent Teacher Council Fund may also become controversial and result in headache for NVS.It has been a practice in some vidyalays to collect a nominal amount of money in the name of PTC fund and use that amount for Vidyalaya development under the supervision of Parent Teacher Council. Collection of fee in the name of PTC fund may be considered as violation of Section 3(2)of RTE Act which says “no child shall be liable to pay any kind of fee or charges or expenses which may prevent him/her from pursuing and completing the elementary education”.

Let's hope NVS Administration would take stepts to educate the principals on the need for not resorting to collection of funds from parents in the name of PTC fund. Hope it would happen before the media or some out side agency finds fault with us.

NCPCR OBJECTS TO JNVST TIME SCHEDULE FOR 2011

As expected in my last post, JNVST 2011 is getting into controversy even before its prospectus is prepared. NVS has come out with a shedule for JNVST 2011 and the same was kept on its website. It also declared the result of JNVST 2010 and going ahead with the admission process. As JNVST 2010 had been conducted before the RTE came into force,this year's admission process may be a smooth affair.

But JNVST 2011 will not be the same.Dr Shantha Sinha, Chairperson of National Commission for Protection of Child Rights(NCPCR)has written a letter to NVS seeking clarifications. She frowned upon NVS, while speaking to a telugu news agency,for declaring time schedule for JNVST 2011.Even if NVS goes ahead with its admission process for 2011, it may result in legal disputes.

The best way ahead is seeking an amendment for RTE.

No JNVST 2011?!

All of us are aware of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act which came into effect from April 2010.As per the provisions of the Act, conducting admission test is illegal. The new law questions the Navodaya's sysytem of 'talent identification and naruture method'. Section 13 of the act bars all schools from subjecting “the child or his or her parents or guardian to any screening procedure”. The section punishes those who infringe with a fine of Rs 25,000 for the first violation and Rs 50,000 per infringement subsequently. In the absence of a proper admission test, what would be the new criteria for admiting the students? Governament of Andhra Pradesh has recently cancelled a scheduled admission test for State Residential Schools. AP govt has decided to follow wait and watch policy until Minisrry of HRD will come out with a solution for admission into Navodayas. Lets hope Ministry of HRD will get exemption from the clause and the things will go smoothly without geopardizing the next year's admission procedure.

Family Pension and Invalid Pension under New Pension System.

Govt of India has extended the benefit of family pension to the family's of employees covered under NPS, in case of their untimely death before the retirement. In case of invalidation of employees, employees will become eligible for invalid pension. The calculation of pension in both cases would be according to the 1972 pension provisions. But this benefit is provisional as the new rules are being framed. Even after the new rule, some kind of regular pension is expected in case of above circumstances.

As NPS is notified by cabinet to NVS employees, all the alllied rules also come into effect automatically. Suppose a senior employee unfortunatley looses his life, what his family gets under CPF is less than 10 lakh rupees. What will happen to his family? Had he opted for NPS, his family would be secure. We need to think about this a lot in Samiti. We have around 25 per cent employees who are going to retire within a decade. What will happen to them, if we all madly reject NPS. Are we capable of getting 1972 regular pension? Do we have it in us to go for strike?

We need to keep in mind another fact too. Already 10 per cent of us are covered under NPS.Ten per cent of vacancies are there in samiti. Another 15 per cent will retire in five years. We have been mute witnesses to the inner fights across the regions and unions! We know the fear factor that has been injected into our cadres! Inspite of all these things, is it ok to be positive? We all need to seriously ponder over these things.

Special Allowance is not exempted from Tax

There is an email under circulation among the Navodayas claiming that the Special Allowance is exempted from Income Tax. As it is from one of the leaders of the Union, many think it as authentic info. Whereas the attached response from Income Tax Officer,Bhopal is not clear about the exemption.

Special allowances are exempted from income tax,according to clause (14) of section 10, if they fulfill the following criteria:
(i) Any special allowance or benefit granted to an employee to meet the expenses incurred in the performance of his duties as prescribed under Rule 2BB subject to the extent to which such expenses are actually incurred for that purpose.

(ii) Any allowance granted to an employee either to meet his personal expenses at the place of his posting or at the place he ordinarily resides or to compensate him for the increased cost of living, which may be prescribed and to the extent as may be prescribed.

However, the allowance referred to in (ii) above should not be in the nature of a personal allowance granted to the assessee to remunerate or compensate him for performing duties of a special nature relating to his office or employment.

Para 7.21.3 of VI PRC report,based on which NVS Teachers are granted special allowance, says that "the Government should consider grant of a special allowance in these(read navodayas) schools on par with that being recommended by the Commission for Military Schools in Ministry of Defence and the Oak Grove School in Ministry of Railways"

Now look at Para 7.36.93, pay commission clearly says the reason for granting such allowance which reads like this:the Commission has recommended a special allowance of 10% for Military Schools on account of special functions that need to be performed by Teachers/other residential staff working in the residential schools.

Any one can clearly understand that the special allowance which we get is due to 'the special nature of work' but not either 'to compensate for the increased cost of living' or "to meet the expenses incurred in the performance of our duties". So our allowance will not fall under exempted allowances.

What worries everybody is the vulnerability of our staff to be misled. We need to educate ourselves.

All Eyes on Reveiw Meeting

when strike was called off,majority of the employees felt assured that their genuine demand would be accepted and they would become eligible for Pension under 1972 pension act. Many silently wished for a negotiated settlement. We are aware of our special responsibility in our Vidyalayas. The moment we go on strike, we stand as a bad example for our children. Ministry of HRD should be able to impress the finance ministry of the unique situation of Samiti where the strike has many adverse and negative fall outs unlike the strikes in other organizations under other ministries.
Hope ministry of HRD and Finance would understand the importance of negotiated settlement in view of the consequences which may manifest in negative behavioural attitudes of our students.

Lets hope, the review meeting which is told to be held on 8th March, would play an accelerating role in expediting the process towards our ultimate goal of attainment of social security.

STRIKE IS CALLED OFF ON ASSURANCE OF TIMEBOUND ACTION

"In view of the assurance given by the Secretary on behalf of the Govt of India the JAC had decided to call of the indefinite strike. The Secretary, Ministry of HRD has patiently heard the demands and expressed that Ministry fully supports for the demands of Employees of NVS and ensured JAC that Govt is taking up the issue with Ministry of Finance and a favourable decision will be evolved as early as possible. Also Commissioner has suggested an action plan on a time bound basis to achieve our objective of materializing both our demands of 1972 pension and 10% Special Allowance to non-teaching staff."

Lets hope something positive would transpire within a reasonable time frame. Else as JAC expressed in its call off letter,"let us also remember that we have not spared our last resort of indefinite strike and our purpose is to get the demands achieved on negotiations".

Pension was assured for Navodaya Employees.

There are rumours under circulation across the navodayas during the last an hour that an agreement was reached in principle between JAC and Govt of India regarding pension. It is said that JAC was assured by Education Secratary regarding Pension. Strike might be called off.