Govt school teachers to go on ‘indefinite strike’ from Nov 20

NEW DELHI: Teachers at government schools across Delhi on Monday announced they would be going on an ‘indefinite strike’ from November 20 demanding their safety at schools. The move comes two days after a government school teacher was assaulted with a metal rod by a student in Saket because the teacher reprimanded him over low attendance.

On Monday, the government schools teachers’ association (GSTA) held a meeting attended by hundreds of teachers to raise concerns over their security at school campuses. “Teachers at government schools are suffering because of the government’s apathy. Saturday’s incident was not the first time when a teacher was assaulted by a student. Earlier this year, another teacher was assaulted by parents of a student. In 2016, a teacher was stabbed to death,” GSTA general secretary Ajay Veer Singh said.

Singh said the teachers will be sitting on a strike outside Delhi Secretariat from November 20. “We will not call off the sit-in as long as we will not be given a written assurance from the government,” he said.

Sanjay Goel, director of the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education (DOE) he will meet the teachers and discuss their issues soon. “How can we give protection to teachers from students? We cannot deploy security guards inside classrooms. We will anyway discuss what they want us to do,” he said.

Teachers, however, said that the government itself decide what measures can be taken for their safety. “The government cannot deprive us from our right to live a dignified life. We are not here to be humiliated and assaulted by students and their parents,” Singh said.

In September, a government school teacher was injured when a chunk of roof came fell on her head. “This time we will not end the protest as long as something concrete is done by the government,” he said.