Bhubaneswar: Thousands of junior teachers working in Odisha government schools staged a demonstration here on Thursday, demanding regularisation of their services and an end to the contractual appointment system.
Around 13,000 junior teachers participated in the protest at Mahatma Gandhi Marg, carrying placards and banners and raising slogans in support of their demands.
The teachers said they had been awaiting regularisation despite the state government issuing a notification for the process. The implementation, however, remains stalled following an order of the Orissa High Court, they said.
According to a protesting teacher, the School and Mass Education Department had issued a notification on April 2 to implement the regularisation after the government agreed to the demand following an earlier agitation by the teachers.
The High Court subsequently stayed the regularisation process on April 14 and sought an affidavit from the state government explaining the criteria prescribed for the exercise, the teacher said.
“Five months have passed since the court’s direction, but the government is yet to respond to the order. We are suffering because of the delay,” the teacher said.
The protesters alleged that they had been working for years under contractual arrangements despite government notifications on regularisation. They said the prolonged uncertainty was causing difficulties for them and their families.
The teachers urged the state government to take immediate steps to address the legal hurdles, including seeking vacation of the stay, and proceed with the regularisation process.
They warned of intensifying their agitation if their demands were not addressed.
