Asom Rajyik Prathamik Shikshak Sanmilani to stage protest on Oct 5

GUWAHATI: The Asom Rajyik Prathamik Shikshak Sanmilani (ARPSS) has decided to take to the streets on October 5, World Teachers' Day, in protest against the non-implementation of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal's directive to the Education Department regarding solution to the problems of teachers.

In a statement issued to the media on Sunday, ARPSS general secretary Ratul Chandra Goswami said, "We held a meeting with the Chief Minister on December 30, 2019 regarding problems relating to headmasters in primary schools and withdrawal of the grade pay of graduate teachers, besides other issues. Taking the genuineness of our demands, the Chief Minister did ask the Education and Finance departments to solve the problems of primary school teachers. A press release to this effect was also published by the Chief Minister's Public Relation Cells. Based on the Chief Minister's directive the then Education Siddhartha Bhattachrya sat for a meeting with leaders of the Sanmilani on January 17, 2020. The Minister assured the aggrieved teachers that their problems would be solved by March 31, 2020. Then there was a change in the Education portfolio. With Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma coming as the Education Minister, he had a meeting with the Shikshak Sanmilani and assured its leaders of solving their problem by August, 2020.

"One of our demands was such that in case of contractual teachers the government should provide them job security till their retirement. However, without issuing any assurance letter to the teachers the government has made an agreement for the teachers to sign. In the new agreement the government ignored the experience of the teachers."

"We did hope that the government would announce appointment of headmasters of various primary schools of the State on September 5, Teacher's Day. However, the government didn't do anything of that sort.

"On August 25, 2020 we met the Chief Minister again reminding him non-implementation of the directives issued by him on December 30, 2019. We raised the demand for solving our problems by September 5, 2020. However, eight months have already elapsed after the issuance of the directive issued by the Chief Minister, but the problems of primary teachers haven't been solved as yet. Now we're going to stage a two-hour-long protest in front of the offices of all block education officers in the State October 5, World Teachers' Day."

Also Watch: Indefinite Strike by Petrol Pumps of Guwahati