Tonsure protests by MP teachers spread
CATCHING ON Those serving on contract basis demand that their services and pay be regularised by the state education department
A protest by contractual teachers in Bhopal who tonsured their heads on Saturday to press for regularising their services, has spread to other places in Madhya Pradesh.
The teachers serving on contract basis in the state’s primary schools have been demanding that their services be merged with that of teachers on the rolls in the state and they be paid according to the 7th pay commission.
On Sunday, five students of the Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan in Bhopal also tonsured their heads. On the same day in Sagar district, ten teachers tonsured their heads and shouted slogans against the state government.
Manoj Nema, who was among those who tonsured their heads in Sagar, said he was appointed in 1995 but so far he had not been absorbed in the education department. “We don’t know under which department we have been placed. We want that our services be brought on the rolls of the education department. We are not entitled to get any benefit that regular government employee gets,” he said.
Nema said they were suffering despite working like other employees. “One of our fellow
BHOPAL:
teachers died of cancer as he couldn’t afford the costly treatment. Another teacher had to mortgage his house for treatment of his ailing wife. If the state government is facing shortage of teachers, why can’t they absorb us in the education department? We are well qualified with many years of experience,” he said.
In Gwalior, teachers staged a demonstration and nearly half a dozen, tonsured their heads.
The opposition Congress took out a march on Monday in the state capital in support of the teachers. Many of its workers also tonsured their heads in solidarity with the agitating tutors.
Congress’s chief spokesperson KK Mishra alleged that the apathy of the state government had reached such an extent that even married lady teachers had to tonsure their heads to register their angst. “This is not our tradition. Such protests will happen more in the coming days as this government is turning a deaf ear to the demands,” he said.
Regarding the march, Congress leader PC Sharma said, “We urged the governor to press upon the state government to accept the demands of the agitating teachers who have been working like other teachers for years.”
Despite repeated attempts, education minister Vijay Shah was not available for comment. His deputy Deepak Joshi said the demand of the agitating teachers was related to a policy matter on which he could not comment.