School teachers’ outfits stage protests raising host of demands
KSTA holds protests seeking scientific rejig of 220-day school education calendar and avoiding sixth working day in a week
Schoolteachers’ organisations across the political divide organised State and district-level protests raising a slew of demands on Saturday.
The pro-CPI(M) Kerala School Teachers’ Association (KSTA) organised a Secretariat march and dharna and protests in district centres seeking scientific rejig of the 220-day school education calendar and avoiding sixth working day in a week for students.
The KSTA has alleged that it has been brought out unilaterally without any discussions with education activists, students, teachers, or parents.
Teachers from all 12 sub-districts in Thiruvananthapuram participated in the Secretariat march inaugurated by CITU (Centre of Indian Trade Unions) State unit president T.P. Ramakrishnan.
Other demands of the KSTA include prevention of ‘communalisation’ of the education sector in the country, scrapping of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Act, withdrawal of the contributory pension scheme, and sanctioning of dearness allowance and pay revision arrears.
The pro-CPI All Kerala School Teachers’ Union (AKSTU) also protested against alleged imposition of the sixth working day in the education calendar in a dharna and march taken out to the Directorate of General Education at Jagathy here.
The decision to have students attend school even on the sixth working day in a week was taken by officials in contravention of the assurance by Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty during talks with teachers’ organisations, the AKSTU alleged.
Besides sanctioning of arrears, the union demanded completion of staff fixation, end to the alleged discrimination against the State in the Union budget, and the ‘communalisation’ of the education policy. AKSTU general secretary O.K. Jayakrishnan inaugurated the protest here.
Congress leader K. Muraleedharan who inaugurated a one-day fast by a joint forum of teachers’ outfits in front of the Directorate of General Education said the government should reveal which study was the basis for the revision of the education calendar. He also alleged that education reforms being initiated on the basis of some committee reports were a deliberate bid to destroy public education. He pointed out that general education could not be strengthened without support from teachers, students, and parents.
The other demands of the joint forum included dropping the decision to go ahead with school integration by merging high school and higher secondary, sanctioning of arrears, and withdrawal of contributory pension.
The National Teachers’ Union (NTU) also conducted marches in front of offices of assistant education officers (AEOs) in the districts highlighting various problems faced by the general education sector. Union State president P.S. Gopakumar who inaugurated a dharna in front of the Sasthamcotta AEO office in Kollam alleged that the education calendar that had been published in a unilateral manner should be re-examined. Others demands of the organisation include sanction of benefits such as dearness allowance, leave surrender, pay revision arrears, withdrawal of contributory pension, hike in midday meal rates, and revision of Medisep to include government contribution.
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