Even as thousands of para-teachers cutting across platforms have joined hands to make the State Government yield to their demand of regularisation of service, the State education authorities have come out with contingency plans to mitigate the repercussions of the ongoing strike for the primary education system of the State.
“This is a policy matter so I would not comment. Yet, I would say that assistant teachers are being arranged for the period of strike,” said Director, Primary Education, Kamal Shankar Shrivastava.
Various associations of para-teachers have called for a complete boycott of teaching activities at upgraded schools in Jharkhand. While the member of the major association, Jharkhand Para Shikshak Sangh, are on strike since August 28; para-teachers under the banner of Para-teachers Coordination Committee has decided to go on strike from September 1.
The special arrangement being made at the behest of the department of Human Resource Development is being monitored by Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) which has asked all district superintendents of education to make alternate arrangements to keep the lamp of education burning in thousands of schools across Jharkhand.
“All DSEs are posting teachers in schools within district and adjoining districts. This job has been accomplished in some of the districts,” said State Project Director, JEPC, Hans Raj Singh.
Meanwhile, education has been badly affected especially at upgraded schools where the temporary teachers are in the dual charge of school principal. Close to 19,000 schools mostly in the remote areas and villages where the upgraded schools are the only source of education have been hit very badly due to the ongoing tussle between the State Government and Para-teachers.
“We are on a complete strike and will not take part in teaching activities. Till now we have not discussed how to address the loss to teaching activities schools till the time we are on strike. However, we can think about teaching beyond the school hours but that would happen only after all the outstanding issues are resolved,” pointed out Secretary of Jharkhand Para-teachers Association, Vikrant Joshi.
Interestingly, sources within the association have confided that the association may consider putting someone preferably their spouses to teach on their behalf at schools if the Para-teachers decide to convert the present agitation into a movement.
Meanwhile, the larger of the two associations are adamant on their stand and vowed to protest in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his election rally at Bhagalpur, Bihar on September 1 if the talk between the State Government and the association ends in a deadlock.
The association has also planned dharna at Janta-Mantar at Delhi to press for their demand of regularisation of service patterned on Chhatisgarh’s solution to the status of Para-teachers.