Demanding their immediate re-appointment, guest teachers of Government schools have started their agitation at protest site here on Sunday. The State education department had inducted 6214 guest teachers to teach in the vacant posts of lecturers and lecturer Teachers (lTs) on contract basis. These teachers were removed on April 1 as their contract expired.
On Sunday under the banner of Government guest teachers’ association large number of youths converged at the protest site and raised demand of their reappointment. Apart from reappointment these teachers are also demanding that the government should increase their remuneration to `25,000 per month.
Addressing the gathering, the President of the association, Shanti Swarup said that guest teachers were appointed by a government order but now there services were terminated without assigning any reason. He said that the association had written many letters in recent past to former Chief Minister, Education minister, Secretary and now to the Governor but no action on the demand was made. The President of the association threatened that the members of the association could adopt more aggressive measures in near future if their demands are not accepted. The Patron of the association, Balbir Tomar said that these teachers worked with dedication to uplift the academic environment in the government schools and it is a fact that the standard of teaching has improved in the schools of Uttarakhand due to the efforts of guest teachers.
These teachers were appointed in last week of the August 2015 for a period of 89 days or end of the academic session. A remuneration of `125 per period was paid to lT while the lecturers were given `150 per period provided the total monthly payment does not exceed `15,000.
However buoyed by the assurances of the former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and education Minister these teachers were hoping that there contract would be extended but their hopes were dashed with the imposition of President’s rule. Meanwhile the association of serving lecturers and lTs, the Rajakeeya Shikshak Sangh has clarified that any attempt to extend the contract of guest teachers before the pending process of new appointments and promotions would be opposed.