Now thousands of teachers and employees of 4,000 schools getting block grant are holding an agitation at the district education offices and collectorates across the State after having locked up their respective institutions. They have warned of intensifying their stir during the Assembly session starting on August 18.
The Block Grant college teachers, too, are gearing up for an agitation from August 20 in front of the Assembly. They have warned that they would also lock up their colleges and continue a dharana till their demand is met. There are about 15,000 employees in the 662 and 488 aided colleges getting Block Grant.
These employees irrespective of their categories are one in voice: Abolish Block Grant and implement Grant-In-Aid (GIA). What they have been opposing is the Government has developed a cold feet towards their demand for long years and has been giving them a quarter of their due salary and not regularizing their service at par with the their counterparts in the Government institutions. They are also arguing that many employees in the Block Grant have retired and died while in job without getting any benefit. What is galling is even at this stage several thousands of the employees are nearing the age of retirement. Their run after GIA appears a wild goose chase as the Government, despite their relentless service over last 20-25 years under paltry payment in the face of all odds, has been giving only hollow assurances without showing any sincerity to keep its words.
“Over 200 employees in the Block Grant schools have died in last few years due to penury and mental anguish. While hundreds of them have retired, thousands are on the verge of their retirement. Yet, the Government was biding time to decide on regularizing their job by converting Block Grant to regular grant or GIA,” lamented a teacher leader of the school teachers association.
He said that the employees under the Block Grant have no service conditions and as such, nobody cares if they retire in time. Supposing one continues even after his age of retirement and his bills for grant are sent to the higher-ups, he has no problem getting the grant. But those who by own conscience have retired are left in the lurch without any post retirement benefits. Similarly, those who died while in the job also were deprived of any compensation. He, however, maintained that their association provided `2,000 to each of those died.
A college teacher lamented the lack of genuine concern of the State Government towards education and the plight of the teachers. He said that the Government has been consistently misguided by some bureaucrats that fiscal austerity should get precedence over education even if its quality is compromised due to lack of a free and comfortable work culture for the teachers. As a result, the Government sticks to the Block Grant policy, despite virulent protest against it.
He said that it is high time Government loosened its purse strings and considered implementing GIA. He suggested that if the Government is in resource crunch to meet the expenses, it should consider paying GIA on basis of year wise appointment, instead of completely ignoring it.
Meanwhile, School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra was evasive on the issue of implementing GIA. He, on the contrary, appealed to the teachers to come for a dialogue with the Government and settle the issue amicably instead of locking up schools.