Serving teachers, teachers-designate mull agitation
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 23 2012:
In pursuit of their respective demands in-service teachers and teachers-designate have threatened to launch agitation against the Government of Manipur.
While teachers under the Council of Teachers' Association are demanding release of pending salaries, primary and upper primary teachers recruited under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) project threatened to launch intense agitation in case Government of Manipur do not hand over appointment orders at the earliest.
Speaking to newspersons at Manipur Press Club today, Council co-convenor Ch Santakumar Singh informed that in-service teachers have not been paid their salary from March to the current month.
Revealing that salary to newly recruited primary teachers have not been paid for over seven months, Santakumar stated that some teachers posted at rural or far-flung schools could not attend classes regularly due to financial constraints, which is so severe that even bus fares could not be afforded.
Reminding that teachers too have their own family to care for and look after besides imparting knowledge to the students, he asserted that prolonged denial of salary to the teacher community tantamount to undermining 'Right to Life' provision of the Indian Constitution.
Further observing that asking the teachers to continuously serve without payment is akin to 'forced labour' and violation of all prescribed norms, Santakumar also expressed that Manipur Government Employees' List/Computerised Personal Information System (MGEL/CPIS) do not imply that monthly salaries of the employees should be held up.
Denial of salary is also creating enormous financial burden to some teachers who had taken loan from financial institutions and could not clear the debts in time for belated loan clearance automatically means increase in compound interest, explained the co-convenor.
He further opined that discriminating the teachers amount to disregarding development of Government schools where the students are mostly from families with unsound economic background.
Contending that callous attitude of the Government is akin to inviting the teachers to launch intense agitation, Santakumar affirmed that the Council members are prepared to launch mass movement, court arrest and mass rally in pursuit of their demand.
Meanwhile, according to SSA Selected Teachers' Association 2011-12 president M Khogendro, the State's Education Department had on February 28, 2012 declared selection of 1947 primary teachers and 574 upper primary teachers.
Inspite of over three months of announcing the selection list, subsequent appointment orders are yet to be issued to the selected teachers, lamented the Association president who also informed that a meeting of Association members held today at MDU Hall has resolved to hand over a memorandum to the Chief Minister.
The memorandum, copies of which have also been submitted to the Governor of Manipur, Education Minister Principal Secretary (Education) and SSA Project Director, not only urged for relevant measures to provide appointment orders to the teachers but also cautioned that intense agitation would be launched against the Government of Manipur is case of inaction on the matter, maintained Khogendro.
informing that Assam Government has already issued appointment orders to SSA selected teachers despite conducting the recruitment process after Manipur, he regretted incompetency and alleged callous attitude of the State Government to the plight and sentiment of the teachers.
Confiding that many among the selected teachers have either resigned or removed from teaching profession at private schools, Khogendro stated that many have been put in perilous situation due to the indifferent attitude of the Government.
He also reasoned that a pending court case on the selection issue should not be the factor for denying the deserving candidates their due share.
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