Primary guest teachers protest in Karnal, seek regular jobs

Karnal, January 4

A large number of primary guest teachers on Wednesday protested in the city, demanding regularisation of their jobs.

They took out a protest march towards the CM Camp Office, but were stopped by the police on the way. They staged a dharna there. They were adamant on meeting the CM and officials of the department. The CM’s representative of the Karnal Assembly segment, Sanjay Bathla, reached there and tried to pacify them.

As per the guest teachers, Bathla has assured a meeting with the CM and the higher officials of the department. The protesting teachers also handed over a memorandum to Bathla.

Accusing the ruling BJP party of not fulfilling the promise made in 2014, Pardeep Batan, state president of the Primary Guest Teacher Association, said around 14,000 teachers, including 5,000 primary teachers, had been working as guest teachers in different schools in the state for the past 16 years, but still they had been waiting for the status of regular teachers.

“We will intensify our protest if we are not given time for a meeting with the CM at the earliest,” he added. Narinder Sandhu, state spokesperson of the association, demanded that the government should transfer guest teachers to their home districts. “The government should amend the transfer drive policy and primary guest teachers should be transferred to their home districts,” he added.