75,000 teachers to boycott evaluation of answer sheets
About 75,000 secondary teachers have decided to boycott the evaluation of the UP Board high school (class 10) and intermediate (class 12) exam answer sheets in protest against non-fulfilment of their longstanding demands by the state government. The evaluation is slated to begin from March 30 at 238 centres in the state.
ALLAHABAD: About 75,000 secondary teachers have decided to boycott the evaluation of the UP Board high school (class 10) and intermediate (class 12) exam answer sheets in protest against non-fulfilment of their long-standing demands by the state government.
The evaluation is slated to begin from March 30 at 238 centres in the state. The teachers who have decided on the boycott belong to the Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh (Thakurai faction). The same association’s other factions, which have another 75, 000 members, are yet to take a decision. The Thakurai faction is the largest.
Board secretary Shail Yadav said efforts were on to ensure the beginning of evaluation of answer sheets on time but in case of a boycott by a section of teachers, the results could get delayed.
The evaluation of answer sheets was proposed to be completed in 15 days so that the results could be declared in the last week of May.
Lal Mani Dwivedi, state general secretary of Uttar Pradesh Madhyamik Shikshak Sangh (Thakurai faction), told HT the government had failed to fulfil the legitimate demands of teachers.
“The seventh pay commission had recommended a minimum salary of Rs 18,000 each for the employees of the lowest category. But 2,297 teachers of vocational courses in unaided secondary schools with over 25 years’ service are still getting a fixed salary of Rs 10,000 per month. The computer teachers are receiving just Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000 per month,” he said.
Dwivedi claimed the state government had stopped granting benefits of the old pension scheme to secondary school teachers appointed from April 1, 2005 onwards in the state. But the government had also failed to ensure deductions from salary of the same teachers under the new pension scheme for the past 11 years, he added.
“A few of the teachers appointed after April 1, 2005 died in the last 11 years due to various reasons, including sickness and accident. The lack of salary deduction under the new pension scheme had deprived the deceased teachers’ dependants of family pension benefits and other funds,” he said.
Some of the demands include the actual salary deduction of teachers appointed after April 1, 2005 under the new pension scheme till the old pension scheme was reinstated, ensuring a fixed salary of ` 18,000 to each of the around 3 lakh teachers of unaided secondary schools in the state, extending retirement age of teachers to 65 years, payment for evaluation of answer sheets of UP Board on par with that of the CBSE.
When contacted, UP Board secretary Shail Yadav said negotiations were on at the government level and a decision on the teachers’ demands would be taken soon.