At a time when the State Government has taken a decision to recruit 5,634 more contract teachers in high schools, nearly 20,000 contract teachers already engaged in different high schools on Saturday demanded job regularisiation and grade pay. The teachers under the banner of the Odisha Govt High Scholl Contract and New Pension Scheme Teachers’ Association threatened to resort to agitation from October 10 if the Government fails to meet their demands.
“We have been selected through the career basis and as per the Odisha Reservation Act also. As per the order no 32101 dated 12.11.2013 and 1147 dated 17.0.2014 of the General Administration Department, the contractual employees are entitled to get the benefits of regular employees like grade pay, 10 per cent annual increment and pension facility from the very first date of joining. But the Government has not taken any tangible step on it,” association president Purna Chandra Aech told mediapersons here.
Association general secretary Amresh Panda further urged the Government to at least regularise the service of contract teachers recruited after the year 2004 before appointing new teachers on contract basis.
Now a contract teacher in a high school gets only `9,300 as monthly salary without any other facility. The teachers have been demanding grade pay of `4,200 along with the basic pay.