Contractual teachers threaten to launch agitation in state

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 21

Contractual teachers working under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) on Saturday announced to launch agitations across the state if their salaries were not disbursed immediately.

The teachers accused the state government of forcing a service provider teacher from Ferozepur district to commit suicide. They said Chanan Singh and his family were facing a financial crunch.

Demanding compensation for the family of the deceased teacher and a government job for a family member according to educational qualification, the teachers said the government should immediately release the pending salaries of five months.

Accusing the Congress of going back on its promise, state president of the SSA/RMSA Teachers’ Union Didar Singh Mudki and district president Harjit Jeeda said, “We have been working on contract since 2009. Before coming to power, Congress leaders had announced that the party would stop hiring teachers on contract.”

“Instead of doing away with recruitment on contract and regularising the services of those who had been working on contract, the state government has been withholding the salaries of teachers. In a majority of the cases, these employees are the sole earning members of their families. If they don’t get their salaries on time, how will they make both ends meet?” they questioned.

They said a delegation of SSA/RMSA teachers had met the Director General School Education (DGSE) on April 6 and had raised the issue of non-payment of salaries, but nothing had been done till now.

The office-bearers of the union said they had brought the issue to the notice of the Governor as well, but no action had been taken on their demands.