Protesting teachers call off stir after Government fixes meeting

GUWAHATI: Hundreds of teachers belonging to All Assam Sanyogi Siksha Karmi Union (AASSKU) were thwarted by the police from carrying out their protest programme under the name and style of Janata Bhawan Chalo today. Earlier, despite obstruction by the government authorities at various places, a good number of AASSKU members could manage to reach Guwahati from different districts for the protest programme.

Attended by hundreds of teachers, a rally was taken out in the morning from Sewali Path at Hatigaon in Guwahati with the aim of marching to the Janata Bhawan. However, with security arrangements being in place, the police obstructed the protesters from proceeding further. The teachers were detained in a nearby field by the police.

It may be recalled that in 2005 around 10,000 teachers were appointed in the state on contractual basis on a fixed remuneration of Rs 3,000 for 11 months. Later, the period of service was extended to March 31, 2012. However, once the period ended on March 31, 2012, there was no extension of service and the teachers lost their jobs.

As of now, the demand of the Union is reappointment of the teachers who lost their jobs due to lack of extension. In between a good number of such have got engaged in other professions having lost all faith in the system.

According to the Union leaders, several meetings have been held earlier with the government and that minutes were even drawn as to how the reappointment process could be undertaken. The AASSKU has alleged that despite the minutes, the government did not initiate any move to set the process of reappointment rolling. The agitating leaders have opined that they could reappoint as a teacher at the pre-primary level where the vacancies of supporting staff exist.

On the other hand, while being confined in the fiels at Hatigaon area today, the protesters raised slogans against the government. Soon officials from the education department arrived and it was informed that a meeting with the teachers will be held on Nov 1. Following the verbal deal, the protest programme was withdrawn by the protesting teachers. Again, since the protest programme by the teachers was a pre-decided one, security was beefed up at Dispur and all the avenues to the Janata Bhawan were kept under strict vigil.