Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of teachers from unaided schools and colleges in Odisha on Saturday marked Teachers’ Day by staging a protest at Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar, demanding Grant-in-Aid (GIA) benefits, pension facilities and fulfilment of their other long-pending demands.
The protest, organised under the banner of the Odisha School College Teachers’ and Employees’ Coordination Committee (OSCTECC), entered its 21st day on Saturday. The teachers held a round-the-clock sit-in at Mahatma Gandhi Marg, even as Teachers’ Day was being observed across the country.
The protesters said they were compelled to leave their classrooms and join the agitation as the government had allegedly failed to address their demands despite repeated representations.
One of the key demands of the committee is to bring 194 high schools under the Grant-in-Aid system or provide them financial assistance on a par with similarly placed aided schools.
Speaking at the protest site, OSCTECC representative Subash Chandra Dash said teachers of these institutions had been serving for years but were deprived of benefits available to teachers in aided institutions.
“We have been functioning for years and fulfilling the educational needs of students, but were excluded from earlier Grant-in-Aid orders and policies. We are demanding GIA benefits, pension facilities, filling up of vacant posts and an increase in the retirement age from 60 to 62 years, among other demands,” Dash said.
The protesters also sought pension benefits for eligible teachers and employees and demanded that vacant posts in educational institutions be filled up. They further urged the government to increase the retirement age from 60 to 62 years.
Another teacher at the protest site said the government should address the alleged discrimination faced by teachers working in unaided institutions.
“Teachers’ Day is an important day for the teaching community. While the government talks about ‘One Nation, One Election’ and ‘One Nation, One Identity’, there should not be ‘discrimination’ among teachers. We want the 194 high schools to be brought under the Grant-in-Aid system or provided financial assistance similar to aided schools. We also want pension benefits for retired teachers,” the teacher said.
Woman teacher Surma Patel appealed to the state government to consider their demands.
“The government should listen to our demands. If the government does not listen to us, who will? We are helpless and request the government to consider our demands,” Patel said.
The protesters said it was unfortunate that teachers, who play a crucial role in shaping the future of students, had to spend Teachers’ Day protesting instead of celebrating the occasion with their students.
The OSCTECC said the agitation would continue until the government takes concrete steps to resolve their long-pending demands.
