Odisha government asks agitating primary teachers to join duty

BHUBANESWAR: As education is being affected in 56,000 elementary schools across Odisha, the state government on Thursday directed 1.30 lakh primary teachers, who have been on strike since September 8, to join duty.

The teachers have been demanding abolition of the contractual appointment system, a hike in grade pay and restoration of the old pension scheme(OPS). In a letter written to all the district and block education officers, the director of elementary education has mentioned that most agitating teachers are staging dharna in front of BEO offices without seeking permission from competent authorities and this is ‘gross misconduct’.

There shall be 220 working days in an academic year and if the same is not achieved during the normal working months, it has to be compensated in the later part, he said. A sub-committee under the chairmanship of the elementary education director has been formed by the government to examine and discuss the demands in the presence of the office bearers of the teachers’ association.

“After threadbare discussion with the office bearers of the teachers’ association, the committee will recommend its decision to the inter-ministerial committee to take a final decision on their demands,” read the letter. The education officers have been asked to appraise the matter to the teacher associations at the district and block level to call off their strike and resume their duties in the interest of the students who are being deprived of their right to education. However, the agitating teachers are sticking to their demands and said they will continue their protest until their demands are fulfilled.

“This letter indicates that the government finally wakes up. We don’t care about such warning letters from the government. We will continue our protest till the government does not accept our demands,” said Jyoti Ranjan Mishra, coordinator of All Utkal Primary Teachers’ Federation.