The tussle between the teaching and non-teaching staff of Government schools and State Government is likely to stretch further as none of the protesting groups are willing to back out and join their duty in the stipulated time as per the instructions issued by Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) on Saturday. This has prompted the School Education Department to look for alternative arrangement so that literary work in not derailed.
The Government has drafted out a composite plan and is standing on the motto of ‘No Work No Pay’. looking at the students’ future, regular teachers have been deputed at every school to meet the crisis and the government is also ready to appoint new staffs, if the protesting staffs do not join their duty in specified time.
“As per the instructions issued by CM Raghubar Das, those teaching and non teaching staffs who will create hindrance in imparting quality education among children will be terminated from duty immediately. Students’ academics will not suffer in any way as all mandatory arrangements have been ensured by the department,” said, Secretary, School Education and literacy department, Aradhana Patnaik.
“As per the inputs available with us, 80 per cent workforce is sincerely delivering their duties at designated posts across the State. All district administrators have been issued the communiqué to take necessary action against offenders. State government is taking all measures to ensure the welfare of both teaching and non-teaching staffs of Government schools,” added Patnaik.
All the protesters are reluctant and have unanimously added that, they have proscribed the instructions of the Department and none of them will resume their job until all their demands are accepted.
“We are not going to accept the proposal of State Government. Our strike will continue. From Monday, we will go on hunger strike. Besides providing quality education to drop out girls from class 6 to 8, we are also imparting education among girls from class 9 to 12 here and also lending our services to Jharkhand Awasiya Vidyalaya,” said Rohini Prasad, president KGBV Sangh.
“We are receiving payment of Rs20,000 per month, however for teaching 250 extra students studying in class 9 to 12, the State Government is not giving us any remuneration since 2009. Despite giving in writing, none of our demands have been fulfilled yet. As many as 1,200 teaching and non teaching KGBV employees are on strike at present,” added Prasad.
Notably, KGBVs are fully accomplished residential schools for dropout girls especially belonging to schedule castes (SC) and schedule tribes (ST) community from hinterlands. Presently, there are 203 KGBVs with approximately 60,000 students strength operating across the state for providing quality education to girls and empower them. Similarly, 57 Jharkhand Awasiya Vidyalaya is functioning in State and around 7,000 students are enrolled in it.
likewise, all the 1,400 employees of JEPC who are on strike from September 14 have decided to submit their mass resignations to officials, disrespecting the order issued by the State Government. “We will submit our mass resignation soon to the authority but will not join the duty as our demands are yet to be fulfilled. Our demands have been lingering since March 2016,” said JEPC State Secretary, Pratap Kumar.
JEPC employees on strike have been demanding for payment as per the norms of sixth pay commission including a medical and group insurance. At present, they have been getting salary according to the fourth pay commission rules. Around 3,600 BRPs and CRPs including 20,000 para teachers are also continuing their protest affecting approximately two lakh students studying at Government schools in rural and semi-urban pockets of Jharkhand.