NEW DELHI: For the past five years, the Delhi government has reportedly not disbursed the designated payment of Rs 200 per month intended to recharge the tablet data for government school teachers.
The Government School Teachers Association (GSTA) has written to the education department, highlighting the issue.
To make online teaching hassle-free, the Delhi government promised tablets to 2103 new teachers appointed by the Directorate of Education in 2021.
Additionally, over 60,000 government teachers were given tablets in the year 2018-19. It was in 2018 when the Directorate of Education issued guidelines for the procurement of tablets to be given to the teachers of government schools.
The Education Department, in its 2018 circular, stated that an amount of Rs 200 per month would be given to each tablet holder instead of internet charges. These internet charges are subject to revision by the department from time to time, with the requisite budget allocated to the schools under this head.
Ajay Veer Singh, the General Secretary of GSTA, stated, ‘If the outstanding payment and advance payment are not made promptly, teachers will be forced to be incapable of continuing with this system.’ Furthermore, Ajay highlighted that the education department requires the purchase of tablets with outdated hardware/ software specifications for their tasks.
This is why the education department should revise the notifications of a tablet in a way that it can be utilized properly. Moreover, such a device is meant for usage of at least four more years; therefore, it cannot meet expected work requirements.
Upon consultation with industry experts, GSTA recommends that the budget for the procurement of the devices be increased from Rs 15,000 per device to Rs 30,000 per device with the additional specifications. The Government School Teachers Association has recommended that the budget for the procurement of the tablets be increased from Rs 15,000 per device to Rs 30,000 per device. In March 2023, the Delhi government decided to provide new tablets to all teachers, principals, vice-principals and the Delhi Directorate of Education.