COIMBATORE: The school education department is facing 222 contempt cases in the Madras High Court as of December 2021. Teachers attribute this to the school education department’s failure to appoint a legal officer.
A Coimbatore-based government school teacher, who got details of the pending cases through an RTI petition, said that the situation highlights the department’s lethargy in handling court cases. The teacher said he sought details of the number of pending cases, teachers’ benefits cases, etc., in connection with the school education department, but the high court registrar only replied to one query regarding the pending cases.
TN Teacher and School Protection Association president R Ramkumar said the educational officers must reply to petitioners’ queries and complaints. “But, as officials fail counter or acknowledge the complaints on time, teachers approach the court seeking solution. Education officials are not aware of the government servant conduct rules and education subordinate rules.”
Palli Kalvi Thurai Nirvaga Aluvalar Sangam State president L G Murugan said, “In 2021, the department had claimed a qualified teacher or staff who completed law from the school education department will be appointed the as a legal officer. So far, this announcement has not come into effect. The staff and officials manage the issues even without a legal advisor. Due to this, we could not submit the counter-petition on time.”
School Education Secretary Kakarla Usha and commissioner R Nandakumar did not respond to calls for comment. Attempts to contact School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi went in vain.