Schools locked in support of guest teachers

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Sirsa, May 23

Villagers and students locked 22 government schools in the district today in support of guest teachers, who have been served show-cause notice, dispensing with their services in view of an High Court order.

The first school to be locked in the morning was Government Senior Secondary School in Ghoranwali village. Led by sarpanch Usha Rani, villagers and schoolchildren locked the primary and middle branches about 8.50 am.

Before police and officials of the Education Department could reach Ghoranwali, to negotiate with the protesters, they had locked the main gate of the school at 9.10 am.

Within an hour, the government schools at Gudiyakhera, Chaharwala, Hanjeera, Roopawas, Rampura Bagria, Sant Nagar, Nathor, Jhorarnali, Bacchher, Balasar, Chadiwal, Maujdeen, Bhrutwala, Risalkhera, Rampura Bishnoian, Kussar, Desumalkana, Faggu, Darewala and Chakkan villages and the one in ward number 4 were locked.

“The government’s decision to dispense with the services of guest teachers will not only affect their families, but also come as a blow to students as their studies will suffer,” Rani said.

Sita Ram, a villager, said that against 300 students there were a single teacher in several schools of the district and yet the government was removing 4,073 guest teachers by terming them as “surplus”. Though the police intervened and opened locks of most of the schools by afternoon, teaching remained suspended.

District Education Officer Suresh Kumar Sharma, however, claimed the schools were closed at the behest of guest teachers.

Karnal: Parents of students locked the main gate of Government Middle School at Rahra village in the district today in protest against the show-cause notice to guest teachers for their removal.

Students joined the protest, demanding continuation of services of guest teachers. They protested outside the school from 8 am to 2 pm and raised anti-government slogans. The parents alleged the government has betrayed guest teachers by not fulfilling its poll promise of providing them with regular jobs.

Pala Ram, a villager, said there was a shortage of teachers, but the government was not bothered.

Hisar: Villagers in Mirchpur, Narnaund, Rakhi Shahpur, Petwar, Badala and Madanheri gathered outside the schools and closed the gates. In Narnaund, students tried to block the Hansi-Chandigarh road. The police intervened and removed the students from the road.

Jind: Villagers and students today locked schools in Danoda Kalan and Sudkain Khurd villages of the district.

In Sudkain Kalan’s Government High School, seven guest teachers are posted. “If the government terminates the services of guest teachers, there will be no teacher to teach subjects such as mathematics and science. The school has three regular teachers for Sanskrit, Hindi and drawing.”

In Danoda Kalan’s Government Middle School, four guest teachers are posted. Once the teachers would be removed, no one would be left to teach, said villagers.

“Before taking action against guest teachers, the government must have posted regular teachers in their place. We will not allow the government to spoil the future of our children,” said Jagteshwar Singh, a protester in Danoda Kalan village.

Kurukshetra: Guest teachers protested in Shahabad against Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Krishan Bedi and burnt his effigy. In all, 237 guest teachers were affected by the show-cause notice in Kurukshetra. Villagers locked Government High School, Soodpur village; Government High School, Naise village, Pehowa; Government Middle School, Khidarpura; and Government Senior Secondary School, Badonda.

Fatehabad: Villagers and students locked schools at Dharsul, Indachhui, Karandi, Meond Kalan, Kanheri, Rampura, Mohammedpur Sottar, Daiyad and some other villages in support of the demands of guest teachers.

Panipat: Several school students and their parents locked Government Senior Secondary School at Jalalpur Pratham village, Government Middle School at Nanhera, Government Girls Senior Secondary School at Bapoli and Government Senior Secondary School at Chhajpur Kalan, besides government schools at Siwah, Baholi and Pavti villages.

Ambala: Guest teachers demonstrated outside the house of Health Minister in Ambala Cantt today in semi-naked position. During the Assembly elections, the BJP had promised to provide them with regular jobs, they said.

Sonepat: Hundreds of guest teachers protested outside the house of Social Welfare Minister Kavita Jain here today against the government’s decision to remove 4,060 guest teachers from their posts.

— Inputs from Parveen Arora , Deepender Deswal, Dharmender Joshi, Nitish Sharma, Suman Bhatnagar, BS Malik , and Parvesh Sharma