Notwithstanding the education department’s decision to invoke provisions of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to deal with the move of the Rajkeeya Shikshak Sangh (RSS) to boycott the ensuing board examinations in gthe State, the association of Government teachers is determined to go ahead with its plan.
With the invoking of ESMA, the department has issued a moratorium on any type of strike and work boycott for next six months. The RSS, the association of lecturers and lecturer Teachers (lTs) had earlier declared that it would boycott the board examination scheduled to start from March 03, if the State Government fails to accept their demands.
The President of the association, Ram Singh Chauhan told The Pioneer that teachers would not get bogged down by such intimidating measures and are adamant on their plan of boycott of board examinations. He said that the teachers have taken this step as last resort since the Government is dilly-dallying on their demands for long period of time. “No teacher wants to take such a step. Board examinations are the time where the effort of an entire year of teachers along with students is at stake but we were pushed to take this decision,’’ he said.
The leadership of the association has also decided that the teachers would resist any attempt to break their agitation. “There are about 30000 lecturers and lTs in the State, let us see on how many of them the department takes action under ESMA,’’ said one of a lecturers.
Defending invoking ESMA, the Secondary education director, R K Kunwar said that the board examinations come under the essential services as future of the students is at stake. He said that the Supreme Court too has ruled that the results of the board examination should be declared in the month of May so that the students are able to get time to enroll themselves in other course.
The association of lecturers and lTs is demanding that the state government should bring in a transparent transfer act in the education department so that the harassment and favoritism in the name of transfers are stopped.
The other demand of the RSS is that the process of long delayed promotions in the department should start with immediate effect and the government should implement Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme for the teachers. The association has upped its ante against the department’s policy of appointing Guest lecturers in the schools located accessible areas. The lecturers are also demanding that they should be given the benefit of three Earned leaves (Els).