Odisha college teachers protest over job terms, pension demands

Hundreds of college teachers across Odisha rallied on Thursday for job security and pension reforms. In a demonstration, 662 category teachers from Jajpur district protested outside the District Collector’s office, demanding resolution of two key demands before August 16 or face statewide shutdowns.

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According to sources, in a strong show of dissent, the members of a teachers’ association (Adhyapak Sangh) in Odisha staged a protest in front of Jajpur collectorate, demanding immediate attention to their two-point charter of demands: regularisation of job terms and implementation of pension benefits.

The association warned that if the demands are not fulfilled by August 16, they will resort to college shutdowns and intensify their agitation. The district president of the outfit confirmed this course of action, emphasising that the patience of educators is running thin due to continued government inaction.

Simultaneously, a large rally was organised by the union in Dhenkanal district, where over a hundred teachers and staff from 52 colleges participated. The demonstrators submitted a memorandum to the District Collector, reiterating their core demands and issuing a warning of further demonstrations at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar if no progress is made by the deadline.

The protest signifies growing unrest among higher education professionals in Odisha who claim they have been deprived of basic employment rights for too long. Union leaders highlighted the essential role of educators in shaping the nation and demanded that their contributions be honoured through dignified service conditions.

“After prolonged protests, the erstwhile Chief Minister had waived the block grant in 2018. However, it is a matter of grief and distress that the job terms and pension benefits as per GIA (Grant-in-Aid) have not been accorded to us yet, and we are being deprived of it,” the outfit’s Jajpur unit president, Bijay Das, said to mediapersons.

“We will get down to the roads and intensify our agitations at Gandhi Marg and hold a Samavesh (sit-in protest), if our demands are not met by the government before August 16. If deemed necessary, all colleges will be shut down,” president Das warned.

No comments were received from the authorities concerned in this regard.