Rajendra Prasad Mohapatra

Around 18,000 contractual teachers in the State said that they are feeling cheated as their jobs are yet to be regularised. They alleged that though the Odisha government has earlier taken a decision to abolish the contractual recruitment system in the State, the Mass Education department is flouting the directive. Members of the Contractual Teachers’ Association staged a protest at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar on Saturday demanding regularization of their jobs. They also shouted slogans against the government during their protest. As per the protestors, their protest will continue until a notification is not issued about the regularization of their jobs by the Odisha government.

Notably, on Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s birthday on October 15, 2022, the State government announced that the contractual recruitment system will be abolished in the State and as a result, jobs of over 57,000 contractual employees will be regularised.

However, as per the allegations of the protesting teachers, the Mass Education Department is yet to abolish the contractual recruitment system even more than five months after the announcement.

“Following the announcement to abolish the contractual recruitment system, all the departments except the Mass Education Department have regularized the jobs of their employees. We demand the government to regularize our jobs or else it will face consequences in the next election,” said Panchanan Jena, a contractual teacher.

Meanwhile, responding to the teachers’ protest, School and Mass Education Department Secretary Aswathy S said, “Their demand is being considered.”
 

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