Frustrated over the failure of their protracted protest in the State Capital, the unemployed physical education teachers have now taken their agitation to the national Capital. Under the banner of Trained Unemployed Physical Teachers Association (TUPTA), these youths started a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The members of the association are demanding that state government should create 7000 posts of physical education teachers and hire them in all the government schools of the state.
The President of the association, Sundar Dhoni said, “Nobody listened to us in our state so we have decided to take our agitation to national capital.’’ He said that about 150 members of the association have initiated Dharna and many more are expected to join in couple of days. Dhoni claimed that the members of the association would try to meet Union HRD minister and President of India and explain the plight of unemployed physical education teachers.
The members of the association are on a path of agitation since 2006 but it got into news when it undertook a marathon Dharna at the protest site in 2014-15.
The members also pressurized the state government by undertaking hunger strike but in the month of January last year the government was able to persuade them to break their hunger strike by assurance that their demands would be accepted. However nothing happened and the association was out again on the path of agitation in the month of January this year.
The members of the association have employed every mode of lodging their protest like seeking alms, marches to state secretariat and CM residence, scaling over head water tanks and writing letters in blood to Prime Minister, President, Congress President.
There are about 18500 unemployed physical education graduates and post graduates in the state and they are demanding that on lines of the neighbouring states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh the Uttarakhand government should also create a post of Physical education teacher in all the government primary schools. TUPTA also demands a post of physical education lecturer should be created in all the Inter Colleges of the state.