Bhubaneswar: The agitating teachers and staff of schools and colleges decided to call off their stir till March 9 after being assured of fulfilment of six of their seven demands following discussions with the state government.
Keeping in view the matric and plus two examination in the state, a delegation of the Teachers and Employees United Forum today met Higher Education Minister Ananta Das and School & Mass Education Minister Badri Narayan Patra at the State Secretariat here who assured to fulfil six of their demands.
Following the discussion, forum Convener Golak Nayak said that the meeting was held in a cordial manner, but no consensus has been reached and stated that the strike was put on hold after the Ministers requested them to cooperate during the exams. However, a decision will be taken at the Steering Committee meeting of the forum, he added.
On the other hand, the Higher Education Minister stated that the government is hopeful that the teachers call off their agitation permanently or alternative measures would be taken. "The teachers have some responsibilities as their agitation will directly affect the students and their future. The examinations will be conducted and discussions are still going on. We are hopeful that they will withdraw their agitation," said Ananta Das.
"Thankfully, they have kept our request because of the upcoming matric and plus two examinations. Also, keeping in mind the ongoing elections, we asked them to cooperate with the government, while discussion on fulfilling their demands is still on," said Badri Patra.
The United Forum has been staging a dharna here at the Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar since past 12 days demanding withdrawal of the clause mandating submission of affidavit to avail grant-in-aid.