While more than 15,000 guest teachers in Haryana continue to demand regularisation of services, the Manohar lal led State Government is in a fix over the fulfilling this poll promise. From writing letters in blood to PM to BJP chief Amit Shah launching a Statewide protest, the guest teachers have been adopting all kind of measures lately to build pressure on the Haryana Government to deliver on its poll promise of regularising their services.
The Haryana Government, however, is yet to take a clear stand on the issue, and is now facing flak from various quarters following Sunday’s clash between guest teachers and police. Demanding regularisation of jobs, members of the Haryana Guest Teachers’ Association (HGTA) were on an indefinite dharna since May 8 at Sector 12 in Karnal, the home constituency of CM Manohar lal Khattar. On the tenth day of the strike, police cane-charged guest teachers when they tried to gherao the canal rest house on the mall road, the designated camp office of the CM.
The guest teachers are also protesting the removal of 4073 teachers, termed as surplus by the State Government in an affidavit submitted in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The HGTA has been alleging that present Haryana Government had gone back on its promise to regularise the guest teachers and was resorting to lies before the court. The HGTA is also said to have submitted a letter written with blood to RSS chief and VHP leaders urging them to intervene in the issue.
Education Minister had earlier stated that amicable solution to the problem of guest teachers would be announced soon. Following police action on guest teachers on Sunday, Health Minister Anil Vij took to Twitter on Tuesday expressing his sorrow over the whole episode. Notably, more than 15,000 guest teachers were appointed by the then Congress Government in 2005 to tackle the shortage of staff in Government schools. The appointments were made by the four-member committees headed by Block Elementary Education Officers and school principals.
later, the guest teachers got a relief from the High Court which directed the government not to remove them till the regular appointments were made. In 2014 also, the guest teachers sat on a dharna at Jantar Mantar for two weeks during the Congress regime seeking regularisation of their services.