Shikshya Sahayaks lay siege to busy M G Marg

Bhubaneswar, Nov 27 (UNI) Over 20,000 Sikhya Sahayaks,(contract teachers) engaged in Primary and Upper primary schools, have sieged the M G Marg in front of the Assembly for the second day today demanding regularisation of their services.

The teachers also threatened to continue their agitation till their demands were fulfilled.

Vehicular traffic on the road was suspended as teachers from all the 30 districts of the state occupied the road.

The agitating teachers have resorted to cease work and squatted on the road. Some of them had also come with their babies and joined the mass dharna before the Assembly.

Before launching the mass demonstrations the Shikshya sahayaks had staged demonstration in their respective blocks and districts from November 20 in support of their demands.

Orissa Sikhya Sahayak Association General Secretary K N Pal said the teachers launched the indefinite mass demonstration as the government did not pay any heed to their long standing demands.

Recently the government had announced to give a monthly salary of Rs 3,600 to those Sahayaks who have completed five years of service and regularise the service of those teachers who have completed nine years of service. But the teachers have rejected the offer.

As per the existing rule the sikhya sahayaks would get a salary of Rs 3,000 and Rs 3,500 after four and seven years of service respectively.

Mr Pal said the state has 53,403 primary and upper primary schools and more than 81,000 posts of teachers were lying vacant.

The government, he said, had appointed 45,000 para teachers against the requirement of 81,000 teachers.

Meanwhile, primary education had been badly affected following the agitation as most of the schools are run by single teachers, he said.

UNI