Education Department Decision: New Arrangement for Handing Over Charge During DEO Absence

The Education Department of Gujarat State has amended the administrative rules for handing over charge during the absence of the District Education Officer (DEO) and the District Primary Education Officer (DPEO). According to a report by Sandesh, this new arrangement has been implemented with immediate effect.

Until now, proposals for short-term leaves of Class-1 officers were received at the last minute, due to which orders for handing over charge could not be received in time. This delay was having a negative impact on educational and administrative activities, and to prevent this, the government has decentralised the powers.

According to the new rules, if the DEO is on leave, the charge will be assigned by the Commissioner of Schools' office, and if the DPEO is on leave, the orders will be issued by the office of the Director of Primary Education. Generally, these officers will have to hand over charge to each other before going on leave. If, in any special circumstances, both the DEO and DPEO are on leave simultaneously, the Head of the Department will arrange to hand over charge to a Class-2 senior officer from the respective office. This rule will also apply to other equivalent positions within the Education Department.

This authority is limited to a maximum charge of 15 days only. If any officer wishes to go on leave for more than 15 days, a proposal with all details must be sent to the Education Department 7 days before the commencement of the leave. If the leave is extended after the completion of 15 days of leave, it will be mandatory to obtain prior approval from the Department to maintain the previous charge.