134 Teachers Fired for Unauthorized Leave in Gujarat Over Three Years, Says Education Minister.
During the first day of the three-day monsoon session of the Gujarat assembly, the government announced that 134 teachers were dismissed for taking unauthorized leaves over the past three years.
Kuber Dindor, the State Education Minister, informed the House that a total of 134 teachers from government-run and grant-in-aid schools were terminated between 2019 and 2022 due to unauthorized absences. Additionally, 16 other teachers had their services terminated for unexcused work absences.
Congress MLA Kanti Kharadi from Danta seat in the Banaskantha district inquired about the number of schoolteachers from Patan and Banaskantha districts who were receiving salaries despite living abroad. He also wanted to know what actions were taken against such teachers who remained on the government’s payroll. Kharadi mentioned Bhavnaben Patel, a teacher from Panchha Primary School in Danta taluka of Banaskantha district, as an example.
In response, Dindor stated that Bhavnaben Patel had been dismissed from service after an inquiry confirmed that she had been on unauthorized leave since January of this year.
Dindor also mentioned that 12 teachers in Banaskantha and seven in Patan had been on unauthorized leave for over six months, and they were not paid any salary during this period. Six of these teachers, including Patel, were dismissed on Tuesday, while two teachers who submitted their resignations had them approved by the ministry.
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