Odisha primary teachers stage massive protest outside Assembly, renew demand for pay revision and service reforms

Primary school teachers from across Odisha staged a large-scale demonstration outside the State Assembly on Friday, reiterating their long-pending demands for an enhanced pay scale and reforms in service conditions. Thousands of teachers gathered on Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar, intensifying the statewide agitation that has been ongoing for years.

According to reports, the protest centred on two major demands: an upgrade of the basic post of primary teachers and a corresponding basic salary of ₹35,400 under Level-9. The teachers also sought the complete abolition of the contractual appointment system in primary education. They demanded that all contractual service rendered since 2001 be recognised as regular service and that national increments be extended accordingly.

Over 1.5 lakh primary teachers and teacher-educators across Odisha have been raising these demands continually, alleging that repeated assurances by the government have not translated into concrete action.

Demand for Higher Grade Pay

Protesting teachers also pressed for an increase in grade pay from the existing Rs 2,200 GP to Rs 4,200 GP, along with the provision of six notional increments.

A teacher from Sundargarh said, “We are requesting 4200 GP and six notional increments, and we want the contractual service period to be abolished.”

Another teacher added, “We do not wish to disrupt students’ education, but we also need to secure our livelihoods. The current pay structure is inadequate. Teachers in other states receive 4200 GP, while we are still at 2200 GP. We had raised these issues earlier, but the government’s assurances were never fulfilled. This time, we intend to continue our protest until our demands are addressed.”

The protesting teachers have vowed to continue their agitation until the government takes definitive steps to resolve their concerns.