With talks failing to make any headway, the strike of the lecturer and lecturer Teachers (lTs) of Government schools of State continued on Thursday. However it is learnt that the teachers could take an important decision on their strike after meeting Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Friday.
The lecturer and lTs of the Government schools of State Government under the banner of their organisation, Rajkeeya Shikshak Sangh (RSS) are on strike from Monday. The efforts of the state government to break the strike have failed to yield any result. A delegation of teachers was again invited for talks by the government on Thursday night. This meeting too proved a failure. The general secretary of the organization Sohan Singh Majila said that strike of the teachers would continue.
Meanwhile the President of the organisation Ram Singh Chauhan and Divisional secretary of Garhwal Shiv Singh Negi who were sitting on an indefinite hunger strike, were lifted by the police on late Wednesday night when their condition deteriorated. In their place Sunder Kunwar and Dr Kannu Joshi sat on the hunger strike.
The teachers continued their protests at the offices of Block and District Education Officers in different parts of the State. The strike of about 25,000 teachers has adversely affected studies in 2,300 Government high schools and inters colleges of State.
On Thursday, the Government accepted one of the demands of striking teachers when it ordered appointment of selected candidates of BRP and CRP examination in the vacant posts. One of leaders of RSS, K K Dimri however said that only partial demand of the organization is accepted by the government. He said that the teachers are now determined to continue their agitation till the GO for all their demands is released.
The striking teachers are demanding three days earned leave, increase in grade pays, assured career progression, regular annual transfers, a transparent transfer act, payment of better travel allowance and immediate appointment of selected candidates of BRP and CRP examinations.
The President of newly constituted Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha, V K Bahuguna has appealed the teachers to take back their strike in the interests of students. In a statement he said that the morcha fully supports all the legitimate and genuine demands of teachers. Bahuguna called upon the state chief minister to immediately intervene in this matter.