Teachers’ association protests against merger of education directorates

The Primary Teachers Association staged a protest against the creation of one Directorate of School Education and demanded the state government to take back the decision here today. During the protest, the teachers raised slogans against the Secretary (Education) Rakesh Kanwar as well as the state government.

Pramod Chauhan, president, Primary Teachers' Association in Shimla, stated that while the government is making changes in the education sector — which teachers welcome — the merger of the Directorate of Elementary Education with the Directorate of Higher Education into a single body could damage the basic structure of education rather than bring about qualitative improvement. “Several discussions have been held with the state government on this issue, but the outcomes have been disappointing and our voices have fallen on deaf years,” he said.

Chauhan said the Directorate of Elementary Education was established after 1984 specifically to bring qualitative improvement in education, and since then, Himachal Pradesh has made significant strides in that sector.

“Today we are holding a symbolic demonstration at Chaura Maidan, which the state government is trying to supress. However, we will not back down, even if the state government takes disciplinary action against us or even suspends us,” he said.

He warned that if the state government continues to intimidate teachers, then the they would stop administrative work from tomorrow and would focus only on teaching.