The association of Government school guest teachers has threatened to start an indefinite hunger strike from October 20. After a prolonged agitation these guest teachers had joined duty in Government schools in September on the assurance of State Government that their services would be extended till the end of this academic year. However, these teachers are now claiming that many of them are yet to receive joining order and moreover about 200 guest teachers have been given marching order by the education department. An infuriated association has now decided to resume its agitation.
“Our association has decided to wait till October 17. Till then we hope that the Government would decide about our employment failing which we would restart our agitation again. On October 13 we will hand over a memorandum to CM. We are planning to start hunger strike at State education directorate on October 20” said the President of the association, Vivek Yadav. The association is also planning to boycott Diwali as mark of their protest.
The education department had employed 6,214 guest teachers on purely temporary basis against the vacant posts of lecturers and lecturer Teachers (lT) in the Government schools last year. On March 31 this year the department terminated their contract following which these teachers started an agitation.
When the Congress Government was restored in the State following President’s rule, the first thing it did was to release a Government Order (GO) for reinstatement of these teachers. This GO was contested in the court which rendered the entire process of recruitment of guest teachers as unconstitutional. The court, however, said that the Government can appointment these teachers till March 17, if it wishes.
The guest teachers’ union now want the State Government to challenge the HC’s decision and gives some sort of guarantee to them that the guest teachers would be reinstated after end of current academic year. With the Assembly elections round the corner these guest teachers believe that the Government would yield to their demand irrespective of court’s order.