Vijayawada: Education department denying Special leave facility in Covid positive cases

Vijayawada: Confusion prevailed in the Education department at the mandal level and district level on sanctioning of special leave to the teachers and other staff who tested positive to Covid-19.

When the coronavirus was in peak between March and August 2020, the government issued orders that special leave can be availed by the teachers if they were tested positive to Covid-19. As per the nationwide Covid-19 guidelines, the doctors suggested for 14 days quarantine. Consequently, teachers infected by virus availed the special leave facility of 14 days during the pandemic time.

However, with the gradual decline of coronavirus cases in the State, the number of government employees and teachers using the special leaves also decreased. But, in recent days some government employees including the teachers working in the government schools tested positive to Covid-19. The Education department officials at the mandal and district level are raising objections if the teachers applied for the special leave after they tested positive for Covid-19. The teachers are unable to convince the officials to sanction special leave, which was granted by the government during the pandemic.

The Education department officials are asking the teachers to avail the medical leave for 14 days if they tested positive. The teachers are not willing to apply for medical leave because they do not want to use all medical leaves at a time. If they use all medical leaves in the beginning of the year, they will be left without any leaves to meet requirements.

Commissioner of School Education V Chinaveerabhadrudu has clarified that the teachers who tested positive will be granted leave as per the orders of the government. When asked about the confusion prevailing in the Education Department at the mandal and district levels on availing the leaves, he made it clear that the leaves will be sanctioned as per the orders of the government.

Amaravati JAC chairman Bopparaju Venkateswarlu said that the government has issued orders for granting special leave to the government employees who tested positive. He also stated that the teachers working in the government schools can also avail the facility. The Teachers Unions are asking the officials to give fresh orders to the district and mandal level officers to grant special leave to teachers who tested positive.