TET teachers to observe 'black week' if demands not met

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR, Dec 28: The TET qualified teachers working in different schools of the district have not received their salaries for the past four months. It should be mentioned here that the teachers usually never get their salaries on a regular basis. The state education department has adopted a policy of discrimition against the aggrieved teachers. The teachers, who have to go without salaries for months on end, are finding it extremely difficult to make ends meet for themselves and their family members.

Besides, the education department has not released salary along with 6% Dearness Allowance (DA) of TET qualified contractual teachers for the past few months. These were among the points stated in a memorandum submitted to in-charge of District Elementary Education Officer and DMC, Cachar, by All Cachar TET Qualified Teachers’ Coordition Committee today. The aggrieved TET teachers also held a sit in protest demonstration before the office of the District Elementary Education Officer.

Rtmarghya Bhattacharjee, general secretary, said they have been repeatedly given false assurances by the authorities concerned. When a delegation met IAS, S Viswathan, Deputy Commissioner, to speak about the issue, he assured them that the pending salaries along with the 6% DA would be disbursed by December 22, but it was not to be. Speaking about the plight of contractual teachers, Bhattacharjee said the Committee reiterates its demand for regularization and provincialization of all the TET qualified contractual teachers by January 31, 2016. The higher authorities should ensure that the salary of all the teachers is transferred to their respective bank accounts by the 5th of every month.

The agitating teachers further said all their pending issues should be taken up by the higher authorities concerned on a priority basis and their sufferings must be mitigated at the earliest. Rtmarghya Bhattacharjee cautioned if the pending salary of the past four months along with 6% DA of permanent and contractual teachers is not released by December 31, they will be left with no other altertive but to observe a ‘black week’ from January 1 of the coming new year.

The teachers though would attend their duties by wearing a black badge as they do not want to play with the future of the students. The agitating teachers said they would upload their photos with black badges to the web portal of PMO if their demands are not met. A copy of the memorandum was sent to Education Minister, Deputy Commissioner of Cachar, ADC Education of Cachar and all the block elementary education officers of the district.