Even as the Block Grant (BG) school and college teachers’ agitation entered the sixteenth day on Thursday, School and Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra hinted that the Block Grant system would be abolished soon.
Patra said a final decision would be taken soon as the discussions with the agitating teachers have almost reached a final stage.
Speaking to the media, Patra said, “Discussions between the Government and teachers have reached final stage, and at any moment a decision may be declared.”
The Grant-in-Aid system would be implemented soon after abolition of the Block Grant system, he added.
Notably, the Government has so far held discussions with the teachers’ representatives thrice, but the meetings did not yield any results.
The striking teachers have stuck to their guns and said they will not budge from the dharna place in the capital city till their demands are fulfilled. Scrapping of the Block Grant system and equal pay for equal work are among their major demands.