Made to perform Bollywood and Lavani songs at education meet, teachers from civic schools complain they were reduced to entertainers belting out cheap numbers
Made to perform Bollywood and Lavani songs at education meet, teachers from civic schools complain they were reduced tou00a0 entertainers belting out cheap numbers
Musicu00a0teachers from schools run by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) have alleged they were made to perform Bollywood and Lavani songs (Marathi folk numbers) to entertain guests of the education board.
Demeaning: Music teachers from PMC schools say they had to sing
Bollywood and Lavani songs for guests at an education board event.
illustration/Satish Acharya
The music teachers said they were insulted as they were reduced to entertainers belting out cheap songs.
Pushed by these allegations into damage control mode, officials of the PMC's education board held a closed-door meeting on Tuesday night at the board's office. While senior officials claim that no teacher was forced to be part of the singing team and there were no complaints from any teacher, sources from the department say otherwise.
Education Department insiders said the incident happened at Girivan, a popular resort where education officials from across the state are gathered for a training programme.
"Currently a training session under the aegis of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan is being held. For that, our education board chairman had organised a musical programme and requested music teachers from PMC schools to conduct it. But no one was forced to do it," said Rajendra Dunge, in charge of sports and cultural activities at the education board.
But sources said it was not as simple as what the education board was trying to present. "Actually, the teachers were told they were to come to a school with their monthly reports, which would be analysed.
From there they were picked up and brought to the venue and asked to perform songs. Since the instructions came from seniors, they couldn't refuse. But they didn't like it that they were being asked to sing Bollywood numbers," said a source.
Education board chairperson Sangeeta Tiwari said she had written a letter to the administrative education officer asking how such a musical programme involving teachers had been held without her permission.
"I met the teachers personally and they told me they had performed several times before but, firstly, it was always pre-planned in the past. Plus, after their husbands and families learnt that they were made to sing Bollywood songs and it was termed an entertainment programme, they didn't like it and many have been asked to quit their jobs by families as they think a lot of disrepute has been brought on them," said Tiwari.
She added that not making her aware about such a programme was a violation of protocol. "The teachers told me that the education officer had called them and asked them to perform. But there was no such proposal put before me, and how could they hold such a function without my permission?" said Tiwari. "She said I have asked for an explanation."
Dunge said the Tuesday meeting was called after there were "rumours" that teachers were angry. "There were no complaints; the teachers said it themselves. It was only a misconception spread by some people," said Dunge.
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| The Other Side |
| PMC Education Officer R N Jadhav said teachers were complaining only because they were made to stay on for a longer time. |
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