The State Government on Thursday finally succeeded in splitting the striking Block Grant teachers, who have been on an agitation for more than a month.
While the Odisha Vidyalaya Sikshak Mahasangh called off its agitation following an assurance from the Government to fulfill its demands, the other faction of the teachers’ agitation, the Block Grant Secondary Teachers’ and Employees’ Association decided to continue with the agitation expressing displeasure over the outcome of inter-Ministerial level committee meeting held on Thursday at the Secretariat under the chairmanship of Finance Minister Pradip Amat.
“The agitation is suspended. The conversion of Block Grant into grant system will be effective from next academic year and will take two months to prepare,” Odisha Vidyalaya Sikshak Mahasangh convenor Prakash Chandra Mohanty told reporters after the meeting.
“Around 40,000 teachers of 4,000 schools had taken part in the agitation. Schools will open from today and teachers will join schools,” added Mohanty.
On the other hand, the Block Grant Secondary Teachers’ and Employees’ Association expressed its discontent over the outcome of the discussions saying neither will schools open nor will teachers impart lessons to students until their demands are fulfilled.
The association would hold its earlier announced padayatra in Hinjili constituency, the home turf of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on September 28 to press their demands.
“The agitation will continue. We have been demanding equal wages for equal work and abolition of the system of different types of teachers and schools. We were told verbally that the matter will be taken up for consideration in 2016-17,” said association general secretary Prasant Mohapatra.