Stop victimisation of teachers: DTF

Amritsar, May 27

A demand letter/notice was sent to the Punjab Education Minister through Amritsar District Education Officer (S) Jugraj Singh to look into the matters of importance regarding teachers’ recruitment and the victimisation of teachers Harinder Singh and Nawaldeep Sarman, who had led protests in 2018 regarding regularisation of 8,886 teachers in the state.

Releasing a press note in this regard, Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) district media secretary Rajesh Kumar Prashar said in 2018, the state government had issued orders to regularise 8,886 teachers recruited under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), besides some teaching at Adarsh and model schools. But two teachers — Harinder Singh and Nawaldeep Sarman — were suspended. Several other teachers, who were a part of protests in 2018 too are being harassed and their appointment letters have not been issued till date.

The DTF demanded that the Education Minister must intervene and all police cases registered against these teachers during the struggle be dismissed and regular appointment letters be issued to them immediately.

Leaders of the DTF Punjab, Amritsar, also demanded that the Punjab State Sixth Pay Commission should rectify its shortcomings soon. “Implement the pay commission report with necessary corrections, release the pending instalments and arrears of dearness allowance, release the remaining 37 allowances, including rural allowance and border area allowance, expedite all types of appointments and current appointments and restore the old pension as promised. These are some of the demands that we have been raising since the past few months. The department must act upon them with a sense of urgency,” said Parashar.

Front submits memo to DEOs

Tarn Taran: Leaders of the BEd Teachers’ Front, Punjab, led by its district president Prabhjot Singh Gohalwar submitted a memorandum each, regarding the current demands of teachers, to the District Education Officer of the Elementary and Secondary Departments, respectively, here on Friday.

The district president said Paramjit Singh, Deputy District Education Officer (Elementary), received the memorandum. He said their demands included the revival of the old pension scheme, service benefits for those teachers who served in the department from 2008 to 2011 on contract, no recruitment on contract and others. — OC