The association of Government school guest teachers has resumed its agitation. The guest teachers are demanding that the State Government should ensure that their services are continued even after March 2017.
The association has threatened to undertake a march to the residence of state Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Monday. The guest teachers would also hold a March to state secretariat on Tuesday and from Wednesday the association has threatened that its members would court arrests in different parts of the state.
The association restarted its agitation at protest site on Saturday and on Sunday three members of the association also started a hunger strike on the spot.
The President of the association lalit Dangwal, Durga Gunsola and Kavindra Kaintyura initiated the hunger strike on the day. Addressing the agitators, Dangwal said that the State Government has many options by which it can safeguard the interests of thousands of the guest teachers. The speakers on the occasion blamed the government for taking refuge in order of High Court (HC) and not challenging the order in double bench.
It is learnt that a delegation of association has been invited for talks with State Chief Minister at his residence on Sunday late evening.
After a protracted agitation these guest teachers had joined duty in Government schools in month of September on the assurance of State Government however these teachers now claim that many of them are yet to receive joining order and around 200 guest teachers are given marching order by the education department.
The education department had employed 6214 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 its wishes.