Shaikshik Mahasangh to hold stir in Delhi on Apr 25

Teachers under the banner of Akhil Bhartiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM) will stage a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi to press various demands on April 25. The same day the association will summit a 15-point charter of demands to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“Though the teachers have submitted their charter of demands to the Prime Minister and the Human Resources Minister on many occasions, yet they were ignored. The apathy of  Central Govt in solving the genuine problems of the teachers has led to a steady fall in standard of our education system across  country and if the Government does not take proactive steps to plug the loophole, the association will intensify its agitation,” warned ABRSM additional general secretary K Balakrishna Bhat at a Press meet on April 17.

Around 50,000 teachers from across the country will participate in the dharna, informed Bhat.

ABRSM State president Prof Prafulla Kumar Mishra rued that though there are only three universities having Sanskrit departments in Odisha, they are ailing from teachers’ vacancies since long. The Government has not been filling the posts for the last 30 years, he said.

Among others, Dr Narayan Mohanty and Pabitra Kumar Rath were present. The demands of the association include  restructuring of the education system by incorporating national identity, Indian values, character building, social concern, research and innovation, setting up an a autonomous regulatory commission for controlling education at the State and national level, allocation of 15 per cent of GDP by the Central Government and  30 per cent of the State budget for education, a halt in the commercialisation of education, uniform pay and service conditions, teacher-student ratio at 1:30, minimum salaries and proper service conditions for teachers working in different names like Vidyarthi Mitra, Para-Teacher, Contract Teacher, Guest lecturer, Shiksha Mitra, Part-time Teacher and Shiksha Karmi etc.