Thousands of guest teachers across the State are eagerly awaiting the State Government’s decision on their future. After termination of their contracts on March 31, the Uttarakhand High Court (HC) had extended their services by two months.
The State education department is now working on a plan to make these guest teachers contractual workers. The modalities of the final order however are yet to be finalised. The association of guest teachers has expressed its dismay on the proposal to make them contractual teachers and demanded that the State Government should absorb them in the education department as permanent teachers.
The vice president of the association, Harish Chandra Arya said that the guest teachers are awaiting the step of the State Government. “If the draft of the proposal does not fulfil our expectations then we will decide on our future course of action. The guest teachers are ready to restart agitation if the need arises,’’ he said. There are 5122 guest teachers in the State who are eagerly waiting the step Government takes on their future. “We have served in the Government schools for more than two years now and all of us have worked with dedication and hard work which was reflected in 9 per cent improvement the result last year. We hope that the BJP Government would take decision in accordance with its vision document,’’ said one of guest teacher posted in Pauri.
To fill large number of vacant posts of teachers in Government schools of the State the education department appointed 6214 teachers.
As per the provision of the contract, the department terminated their services on March 2016 after which these teachers started a massive agitation.
The State was under President’s rule at that time. The suspended Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Harish Rawat and education minister Mantri Prasad Naithani visited the agitation site to express their solidarity with them. When the Congress Government was restored in the State following President’s rule, it released a Government Order (GO) for reinstatement of these teachers. This order was contested in the court which rendered the entire process of recruitment of guest teachers as unconstitutional. The court allowed the Government to continue with these teachers till March 31, 2017. The education department removed them on March 31 this year however HC order extension of their contract by another two months.