The agitating 662 category teachers have agreed to participate in the Plus II examination management, ending apprehensions of students and parents over the examinations, which are set to start on March 1.
The teachers’ association took the decision to put aside their Plus II examination boycott threat after a preliminary-level discussion with the government on Tuesday.
However, the association said a token protest will continue at the Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar till demands are not met.
A delegation of the agitating teachers on Tuesday met Odisha Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari. An inter-ministerial committee held a threadbare discussion on the agitating teachers’ demands, informed sources.
Later, the teachers were reportedly assured that the government would take a decision after discussions, and the agitators were urged to cooperate in examination management.
“He (Finance Minister) realized that our demands are genuine. An inter-ministerial committee has been formed to discuss our demands and a decision with respect to our demands will be taken between March 10 and 12. He requested us to cooperate in examination management. For the sake of students’ future, we have agreed to conduct examinations. At the same time, our token protest at the Lower PMG will continue. We would like to request the government to take a favourable decision by March 12,” said Golak Nayak, president of 662 Category College Teachers and Employees Association.
“We are also demanding pension and abolition of discriminatory implementation of the 7th Pay Commission rules. The government has accepted our demands. So we have agreed to conduct Plus II examinations,” said an agitating teacher.
Around 3.5 lakh students are going to sit for the Plus-2 examinations. Of them, around 2 lakh students belong to 662 category colleges.
(Reported by Jagdish Das, OTV)