Scant facilities for teachers and children in Assam

Guwahati, Jan 12 (ANI): Hundreds of street children and teachers of Jyoti Kendra Programme under the Assam Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (ASSA) are demanding proper facilities.

Children said they have not been provided with proper infrastructural facilities and not even proper uniforms.

"Till date, not even a single student has been provided a table or a chair. Some sit on the ground and others sit on their bags. We have not been provided with any facility not even a proper uniform. We have been hearing for the last many days that uniform will come today or tomorrow but till now no uniform has been given to us," said Ranjit Soner, a student.

Meanwhile, the teachers have asked for appointment letters as permanent teachers, and also salary as per the revised pay scale and two-year teachers training.

When the Jyoti Kendra programme was started in 2002, the teachers were paid a salary of Rs 1,000. After a series of protests the salary was hiked to Rs 1,500 in 2007 and at present the teachers draw a meagre salary of Rs 1700.

The teachers also complained that they make their best efforts to teach street children but in return they are not been paid proper salaries.

"We want appointment (letters). We don't want to work on contract basis. We run our house in Rs 1700 and the teachers of other schools receive about Rs 20000-25000. We bring children who work in garage, hotels and are domestic servants and teach them and then they join higher schools," said Anup Biswas, a teacher.

There are at present 825 Jyoti Kendras across the State and such centres have provided primary education to about 12,530 children so far. (ANI)