Pathanamthitta: As a probe revealed that government school teachers in Kerala are resorting to unfair practices to benefit from maternity leaves, it has also come to light that the favourable stance of the state finance department on the matter likely helped the beneficiaries. The rules section of the department had earlier given reports in favour of the teachers against whom complaints were raised over unfair use of leaves.
For instance, when the general education department asked if a teacher who delivered her baby on March 31, 2015, can avail maternity leave from June 1, the finance department had stated it was possible and instructed to regularise the leaves accordingly.
As a fallout over this exposure maternity leaves which were earlier officially regularised are now being dubbed as unlawful and action sought against the teachers.
A recent probe conducted by Deputy Directors of Education (DDEs) across districts, it was found that there was huge gap of several months between the date of delivery and the beginning of the maternity leave, apparently to avoid taking this leave during the two-month summer vacation period. The DDEs have released the list of such teachers who had submitted wrong information to avail of maternity leave.
Earlier, the finance department, citing the Kerala Service Rules, had said that the vacation can be availed between two periods of leaves. If the teacher had taken a leave other than the casual leave on the delivery date, she is entitled to take 180 days of leave from June 1 apart from the summer vacation, said an order issued by the additional finance secretary.
The finance department had given a similar reply over a complaint against a teacher who gave birth on May 6, 2004 and was granted leave from June 2. It had ironed out the details of the service rules when the general education department was mulling action on these complaints. With this, the unlawful leaves were regularised and the state exchequer lost crores of rupees. The leaves, which were earlier regularised by the finance department, have made it to the latest list of irregularities.
The officials, who had cited the Kerala Service Rules to justify several leaves, have come out against them in the new order. The finance department has now revised its own order that said that summer vacation can be combined with the maternity leave if the holidays fall before or after the leave. As per the new order, if the summer vacation falls during the maternity leave, it would be considered as part of the maternity leaves.
Meanwhile, action has been sought against all teachers who used the summer vacation and then took maternity leaves. The order also asked them to return all the allowances and salary they availed during this time.