Bhubaneswar, Sep 5: With thousands of teachers and education-sector employees continuing their agitation in Bhubaneswar, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan and Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Saturday assured the protesters that the government is examining their demands.
The two ministers visited the protest site at Lower PMG to meet the agitating teachers and other education employees and discuss their concerns.
Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj assured the protesters that the government would take steps to address their issues at the earliest.
He said the government has already received the government-formed committee’s report and that the process of examining the recommendations and taking necessary action has begun.
“We have received 79 reports running into around 800 pages,” Suraj said, adding that the government would take a decision within a short period.
He also appealed to the protesters to nominate a delegation to hold detailed discussions with the government.
“We will hold a detailed discussion with the representatives and examine their demands,” the minister said.
Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the government could not take a decision without first examining and interpreting the committee’s report.
“The government will take a decision very soon after examining the committee’s report,” Harichandan said, urging the teachers to trust the government and withdraw their agitation.
However, the assurances failed to persuade the protesters to call off their stir. Odisha teachers said they would continue their agitation until their demands are fulfilled.
The indefinite protest entered its 21st day on Saturday, with teachers questioning why the government still needed more time to examine their demands.
On Teachers’ Day, teachers, and other education-sector employees under the banner of the Odisha School and College Teachers and Employees Coordination Committee took to the streets in Bhubaneswar. The protesters staged demonstrations near Gandhi Marg and continued their sit-in at Lower PMG Square. Many of them have also been spending nights at the protest site.
One of the key demands of the organisation is the immediate release of grants to 194 schools and other institutions that have remained deprived of government grants despite providing education continuously for 25 to 30 years.
The organisation has also demanded pension and retirement benefits for teachers, lecturers and other education employees working in newly aided schools and aided colleges. It has sought service conditions that would provide financial security to employees after retirement.
Other demands include the immediate filling of vacant teacher posts and the declaration of all schools as government schools.
The protesters are also demanding an increase in the retirement age from 60 to 62 years and the removal of discrepancies in grade pay.
In addition, the organisation has sought 7th Pay Commission benefits for teachers who were excluded from its implementation.
