Govt teachers to raise ₹ 80 cr for kin of colleagues who died of Covid

LUCKNOW : Over 5.5 lakh government primary school teachers across UP decided to donate a day’s salary to raise Rs 80 cr to be distributed among the kin of colleagues who succumbed to Covid after contracting infection during the recently held panchayat elections.

“As many as 1,621 government school staff lost their lives due to Covid infection. The association gave the list to chief minister Yogi Adityanath on May 16,” said Dinesh Chandra Sharma, president, Uttar Pradeshiya Prathamik Shikshak Sangh (teachers’ association), on Friday.

On May 19, basic education minister Satish Chand Dwivedi said only three government school staff died on election duty and described teachers’ association’s list of deceased government school staff as bogus and misleading, said Sharma. He claimed that the minister’s statement on teachers deaths left his colleagues shell shocked.

The shikshak sangh demanded government jobs and compensation of Rs 1 crore for the kin of the 1,621 deceased. The elections were held on April 15, 19, 26 and 29 and the counting of votes was taken up on May 2.

Out of the 1,621 school staff, 1,332 were teachers, 209, shiksha mitras (assistant teachers), 25 anudeshaks (instructors), five, block education officers, 15 clerks and 35 other employees, said Sharma.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had on May 20 announced that election rules will be revised.

THE SHIKSHAK SANGH DEMANDED GOVTJOBS AND COMPENSATION OF RS 1 CRORE FOR THE KIN OF THE 1,621 DECEASED.