The members of Trained Unemployed Physical Teachers Association (TUPTA), have threatened to launch a massive agitation if the State Government fails to heed to their demand of creation of posts of Physical education teachers in all Government schools of the State.
The members of the federation assembled at the protest site near Parade ground on Friday and performed a ‘Manokamna Yagya’ for better sense to prevail on the government. Speaking on the occasion, the President of the association, Sunder Singh Dhoni said that the unemployed are fed up by the assurances given by the state government. He said that the members of the association have now resolved to take their agitation to a logical conclusion and for this a massive agitation would be launched.
The TUPTA undertook a marathon Dharna at the protest site in 2014-15. The members also pressurized the state government by undertaking hunger strike but in the month of January last year the government was able to persuade them to break their hunger strike by assurance that their demands would be accepted. The association is out on path of agitation again now as it accuses the state government for not keeping its word.
There are about 18500 Bachelor of Physical Education (B.P.Ed) and Diploma in Physical Education (D.P.Ed) qualified unemployed graduates in the state and they are demanding that on lines of the neighbouring states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh the Uttarakhand government should also create a post of Physical education teacher in the government schools.The TUPA contends that according to the World health Organization (WHO) guidelines for every thirty students
a physical education teacher should be appointed. The association also demands that a post of Physical education lecturer should be created in all the Inter Colleges of the state. The association is against the policy of outsourcing the post of physical education instructor in the schools under which these trained youths get a paltry amount of Rs 5000 per month only.