Post news network
Bhubaneswar: Agitating contractual high-school teachers, who were prevented by police from protesting near Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence Thursday, have threatened to take extreme measures such as committing suicide if their demands for taking them back into service are not met.
The teachers are also demanding consideration of the initial six years of their service for promotion, as well as a10 per cent hike in salary every year and rectification of grade-pay of physical education teachers.
The state government had in June recruited nearly 4,000 high school teachers but had removed them from their posts on the intervention of the High Court.
The teachers have since Monday been agitating against the move, saying that the fault lies with the state government that had indulged in irregularities in the recruitment process.
“The problem arose when the state government reduced the age limit of applicants from 42 to 32 years. In this process, many lost their jobs and filed cases in the High Court. The court put a stay on the recruitment process, but the state continued to send appointment letters,” said the secretary of the teachers’ association, Amresh Panda.
The state government continued to send backdated appointment letters to teachers, Panda alleged. It, however, disengaged the teachers when the High Court intervened, he said.
The controversy assumes significance as the High School Certificate examination is to be held from February 2 and the removal of the teachers from their posts has created doubts in the minds of students and their parents.