As many as eight teachers’ unions of the State have joined hands and formed a united forum pledging to take forward the fight against Block Grant. They represent thousands of schools from primary, high school to higher secondary, colleges of 622 and 488 ranks, Sanskrit tolls and Madrasas. There are around 50,000 teachers and employees in these institutions.
Holding a meeting here on Monday, the leaders of the eight teachers’ bodies slammed the State Government for not abolishing the Block Grant system and implementing the Grant-In-Aid (GIA). They said that despite long years of agitation and all modes of protests, the State Government has remained adamant on the issue and has doled out false promises over the last 17 years. Though the teachers are from various types of institutions, they have a common goal, that is, abolition of Block Grant.
The union leaders felt the need for a united fight to be stronger. Though there are specific demands of each category of teachers, yet they sought to fight for the bigger goal of abolition of Block Grant.
Around 662 rank college union president Golak Nayak said the Government has implemented the Block Grant policy in 2004 by discontinuing the GIA policies of 1994 and before.
Under the Block Grant system, the suffering of the employees of schools and colleges is not addressed. The Grant is highly exploitative and deprives the beneficiaries of their legitimate dues. Due to the apathy of the Government, thousands of educational institutions are now in a miserable state, said Nayak
“The new way of fighting for our cause would make us stronger and united under one roof,” he maintained.