The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) to act in the case of Block Grant teachers and deprivation of education to the students.

Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy moved the apex human rights panel stating about five lakh minor students were deprived of education in Odisha. The denial of education to the students and forcing them to join strike of teachers amounts to serious violation of human rights.

In the month of September, as many as five lakh students in about 4,000 Block Grant schools in the State suffered with teachers and staff members going on an indefinite strike demanding regularisation of salary. Nearly 40,000 teachers are engaged in these schools.

They are demanding equal pay as their counterparts in Government-run schools. Stating that there is gross discrimination against the Block Grant teachers whose salaries are only about 25 per cent of that of regular teachers despite the same workload, the teachers closed the schools for an agitation till their demands were met. Tired of the State Governments’ vague announcements, the teachers said that they would not call off the strike unless a proper “notification” regarding the repeal of Block Grant and implementation of grant-in-aid (GIA) was brought out by the Government.

The teachers demonstrated in front of the district education offices at the 30 district headquarters holding placards and shouting slogans. The Government failed miserably to understand the genuine demands of the teachers. Their demands may be legitimate but shutting down the schools and denying the students their basic rights of education posed a serious threat to human rights, Tripathy contended.

The strike of teachers and failure of the State Government in opening the schools and ensuring education amounts to severe violation of basic human rights of the students. They were denied mid-day meals, Tripathy mentioned in his petition.

He requested the NHRC to investigate the case and direct the State administration to immediately settle the claims of the teachers and ensure quality education with mid-day-meals to more than five lakh students and pay compensation to the students and ensure their basic human rights.