Say no to dowry for schoolteachers job

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, November 20
The state school education department has accepted Nisha Sharma of Noida (who in 2003 refused to get married as the groom’s family demanded a dowry) as its guiding light. Schoolteachers will have to declare that they would not accept or offer dowry during marriages in the family before they receive their appointment letters.
Following in the footsteps of the Noida girl, the government department has said that teachers of state-aided schools can’t accept or give dowry for their marriage or for that of their children if they wanted the coveted job.
Students who pass the School Service Commission (SSC) examination scheduled for December 23 will have to sign the declaration during interview. The declaration is to say: ‘I will not offer or accept dowry at the time of my wedding or during the wedding of my sons and/or daughters.” With the increasing incidence of dowry harassments coming to the fore, the school education department has taken this decision.
“The dowry system is a menace and teachers are the role models for the next generation. They should take the step and say no to every form of dowry. If a person believes that he or she won’t accept or give dowry, what’s wrong in declaring it?” said school education minister Partha De.
Increasingly, dowry-related incidents of the involvement of schoolteachers too have been cropping up. The school education department has increased teachers’ salary but officials said that has not stopped some teachers from accepting or asking for dowry.
Till now, students taking the SSC examination had to declare that they have no criminal cases against them and they are citizens of India during their personality test. The dowry declaration will be a new inclusion.
“The job of SSC is to recruit teachers through examinations. During the recruitment process, if we get any complaint along with the poof that candidates are involved in a dowry-related matter, the candidate will be disqualified,” said Ranajit Basu, SSC chairman.
If the SSC receives any complaint against any citizen or a report from the police regarding the candidate’s involvement in a dowry-related case he will be disqualified, but the appointing body itself would not take any action. “After recruitment, the state government will take action against the guilty teacher,” said Basu.
State government employees do not have to give a written declaration regarding accepting or giving dowry in his family. But once appointed, they will have to follow the rules, regulation and obligations mentioned in the service book. The service book stops employees from accepting or giving dowry within his family.
“We do not have to sign a declaration. There can be rules but why would you ask some one to sign it? It is insulting. If they don’t have faith in their employee, why employ them in the first place?” said State Government Employees’ Federation general secretary Partha Chatterjee.
Mou.Chakraborty@hindustantimes.com