School for Scandal

School for Scandal

Herald Review April 20, 2014

Months ago, the High Court directed the government to carry out an inquiry into complaints of irregularities and harassment of two teachers at the Dr Ambedkar English High School in Cunchelim. Even as the inquiry by the Directorate of Education is on, the harassment has not stopped.

LISA ANN MONTEIRO

Set up with the intention of helping children from the ST/ SC and OBC communities, the Dr Ambedkar English High School in Cunchelim has run into a controversy over the management and misuse of the educational institution for personal profit.

Matters came to such a pass that two of the teachers were compelled to approach the High Court of Bombay at Goa after their complaints to the Director of Education failed to move the government to intervene. In an order passed on August 12 last year, the High Court ordered the Directorate of Education ( DE) to conduct an inquiry into the complaints in accordance with the Goa School Education Act 1984 and disposed of the petition.

But the situation has got no better for the teachers at the receiving end of the harassment. The management has recently begun inquiry proceedings for the termination of their services, and they fear the worst.

Anant V Kaushal a social science teacher was working on permanent basis at Shanta Vidyalaya in Sodiem Siolim when he was approached to join Dr Ambedkar English High School by the management. He joined as headmaster in June 2009. The school was started in June 2008 in Duler, Mapusa in the home of the society’s founder and chairman N G Akhargekar and later moved to a newly constructed building in Cunchelim in 2011.

Akhargekar is both chairman of the Ambedkar Education Society and now manager of the school.

Kaushal said in his petition that he was appointed undergraduate teacher in the Ambedkar school in Cunchelim with effect from August 25, 2011 on temporary basis on probation for two years with the approval of the DE. He had worked in the same school on a contract basis from June 2008. He was regular and diligent in his work and there were no complaints against him either from his students or other staff members. But things took a turn after Akhargekar began harassing Kaushal “ to donate Rs 9 lakh to the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Education Society for confirmation of his services on the ground that having appointed him, he is required to pay something back to the Society,” the petition said.

The harassment took the form of interference in his classes by the manager, and instigation of students to disobey the teacher, putting him under emotional stress. Kaushal also alleged he was not allowed to attend school functions and PTA meetings.

The petition details serious irregularities in the running of the school and the collection of funds. Apart from being assigned duties that were not part of his job, Kaushal was also compelled to donate money. During the academic years 2009- 10 and 2010- 2011 he had drawn a salary of Rs 2,56221. But both Akhargekar and former manager Vivek Pawar ( his son- in- law) asked the teacher to part with Rs 1,80,000 from his salary to the school society, claiming it was meant for the construction of the new school building at Cunchelim.

Kaushal personally handed over the money to Akhargekar in cash in two installments of Rs 60,000 on March 17, 2011 and Rs 1,20,000 on April 25, 2011, the court was told, but he received no receipts for these amounts.

Kaushal’s wife, Milan Nare, also a teacher at the school, was compelled to donate Rs 1,65,000 from her salary.

Nare too is a petitioner in the case.

After their complaint to the Director of Education and their refusal to pay the Rs 9 lakh each, they continue to work in the school on probation basis, but the mistreatment has got worse. Akhargekar doesn’t allow them to mingle with other teachers forcing them to sit alone in a separate section, a verandah of the school ( see photo). They have also not been paid salaries for eleven months.

Herald Review also spoke to a member of the society who asked that his name not appear. He said he was present when Akhargekar asked teachers for money. “ All his family members are in the society, this is a scandal. There were never any minutes recorded of meetings and when I raised my voice they stopped calling me for meetings. I gave him Rs 40,000 for the construction of the new building.” He says the DE must hold an impartial inquiry into the functioning of the school and the way it collects funds.

The Ambedkar school society and management committee is largely a family affair. Akhargekar’s wife Bharati, his daughter Rajeshree, son- inlaw Vivek Pawar and his brothers- in- law Laxman and Suresh Parsekar figure in them prominently. Suresh Parsekar who is a library attendant at St Xavier’s College Mapusa is a member of the Ambedkar education society’s executive committe and even signs letters as its acting chairman. St Xavier’s College when contacted confirmed that he is employed as an attendant.

Kaushal and his wife are not the only ones who have dared stand up to the Akhargekar family. Eknath Rathod, a pupil of the school, has also filed a complaint to the DE on August 26, 2013 saying he is being harassed by the management. The harassment started when he asked the manager for a receipt for the fees taken, his complaint says.

An ex- teacher of the school who didn’t want to be identified says he too was persistently targeted to force him to quit the job. “ I was also made to sit separately in the verandah with Anant and Milan while all the other teachers would be allowed to sit in the office.” The school doesn’t even have a computer lab, he says.

When Herald Review got in touch with director of education Anil Powar he said his office is in the process of submitting a report to the High Court.

What about the inquiry proceedings being carried out by the Ambedkar school to terminate the services of the two teachers who approached the court? “ That is a separate matter. As per the education law we will look into the merit of termination. There are two hearings still left and the two teachers are not attending the hearings and keep asking for them to be postponed,” Powar said. Review Bureau