The Uttarakhand Federation of Shiksha Mitras (SM) has welcomed the State Government’s decision to absorb about 3,000 SM as primary teachers in education department. The SMs were appointed as ad hoc teachers in the government primary schools on a monthly stipend of Rupees 13000. To get their services regularized the federation of Shiksha Mitras undertook a long agitation.
The president of the federation lalit Dwivedi told The Pioneer that the decision of the state government is a victory of SMs and is result of a protracted struggle by the federation. He congratulated the Chief Minister Harish Rawat and education minister Mantri Prasad Naithani for the decision which would help thousands of SMs of state. Dwivedi said that the SMs are serving in the schools located in most remote mountainous and inaccessible areas for many years on a paltry monthly stipend. He said that it is commendable that the state government has finally accepted the contribution of SMs in primary schools of state.
Under the plan the education department would absorb 2373 Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed) qualified and 800 Basic Teaching Certificate (BTC) qualified SMs in the cadre of primary teachers. These teachers would have to clear the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) level I in order to get benefits like annual increment. It is pertinent to mention here that on the request of state government the National Council of Teacher Education (NCTE) gave its approval for adjusting these SMs as primary teachers without the mandatory qualification of TET level I in March 2014. However the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) had withheld the relaxation of TET given to these SMs. The state government contested this decision of HC in the double bench which allowed the state government to conditionally regularize the services of SMs. On Thursday the education Minister Mantri Prasad Naithani ordered the senior officers of education department to start the process of adjusting these SMs as Assistant Teachers in the schools where they are currently posted.