Recently, in a positive development Director School Education Kashmir, Aijaz Ahmad Bhat, has issued orders for regularization of services of 470 Rehbar-e-Taleems (ReTs) of Kashmir division, a communiqué informed.
“470 ReTs have been regularized including 82 from Anantnag, 44 from Bandipora, 49 from Baramulla, 51 from Budgam, 35 from Kulgam, 77 from Kupwara, 01 from Leh, 24 from Kargil, 24 from Ganderbal, 22 from Shopian, 43 from Pulwama and 18 from Srinagar district,” the statement issued by DSEK said.
The Director School Education said that efforts are being made to sort out all the pending issues so as to develop an efficient work culture in the department. He said process of regularization shall continue on a fast-track basis.
Last year, thousands of Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers who were protesting against the decision of the government to make screening test compulsory for teachers.
As a matter of fact, ReT scheme was started by the previous National Conference government in 2000, which had appointed qualified people as ReT teachers in their respective areas to improve literacy and lower unemployment in the state. There are nearly 65,000 such teachers in the state, who are paid a consolidated monthly salary of Rs. 3,000 for five years before they get regularised.
With time, series of issues surfaced and virtually the ReTs were on warpath but now this process of kickstarting of ReTs, hopes are pinned that things will move toward betterment.