Members of Orissa Rajya Ganasikhyaka Mahasangha protesting near the Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar Monday.
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Bringing some relief for Gana Sikhyaks, the state government Monday said the jobs of eligible Gana Sikhyaks would be regularised as zilla parisad teachers in 2016-17.
“Following the recommendation of the inter-ministerial panel, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved the proposal to regularise the Gana Sikhyaks in 2016-17,” said school and mass education minister Debi Prasad Mishra.
Eligible Gana Sikhyaks would be posted as zilla parisad teachers, posts equivalent to level-V elementary cadre, subject to vacancies, said the minister. “The resolution issued December 4, 2013 was withdrawn and a new resolution to this effect will be issued soon,” he added.
Earlier, the government had decided to regularise these teachers as per the Right to Education Act, for which they should have been trained. Now, these teachers will be regularised on the basis of merit.
However, Gana Sikhyak Teachers’ Association (GSTA) demanded further clarification from the state government on its announcements. “The government has announced regularisation of the teachers on merit basis in 2016-17 depending on vacancies. There is no clarification on the date it will start, the date it will be completed and how many teachers will be regularised during that period,” said GSTA general secretary Umakanta Nayak.
“We demand regularisation of the teachers who have completed six years in service and are also trained. There are around 17,000 teachers in this category in the state. We will continue our protest till the government clarifies its announcement,” added Nayak.
Around 22,000 Gana Sikhyaks have been agitating in the state capital since December 22 demanding regularisation of their jobs. They had tried to gherao Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s residence Wednesday.