Primary teachers across Odisha intensify agitation, to go on mass leave from today

Intensifying their ongoing agitation, primary teachers across Odisha have decided to go on leave en masse from Wednesday. The move is expected to badly affect elementary education across the state.

The primary teachers under the banner of the Primary School Teachers’ Association are staging the agitation seeking fulfillment of their demands including job regularisation and pay hikes.

As per reports, the abolition of contractual appointment as has been done in the case of high school teachers is their first demand. Besides, the inclusion of ex-cadre teachers in the elementary cadre, hike of grade pay, formulation of service cadre for Art and PET teachers, filling up of vacancies and old pension system were among the major demands.

A day earlier, the State government had appealed to the teachers to withdraw their strike. The government has formed a five-member sub-committee to review the demands of the protesting teachers. The sub-committee will give its report to the inter-ministerial committee after reviewing the demands. Then the government will take the final call regarding the demands of the teachers.

Meanwhile, a crucial meeting of the State Higher Education Department with the principals of all the government and private colleges will be held at the Lok Seva convention hall in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

In the meeting, a review will be done regarding the problems of the colleges across Odisha and the effectiveness of the educational curriculum of the State government.

“We will deliberate on the problems of the colleges with the principals of all the government and private colleges across the State in the meeting. The Higher Education Department will also review the educational curriculum of the State government,” said Higher Education Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.