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Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ad-hoc teachers on chalk-down strike

GANGTOK, 22 Oct: The All Ad-hoc Teachers of Sikkim [AATS] today started their pen-down, chalk-down indefinite strike at government schools across the state and are sitting on dharna in front of the District Administrative Centre, East.
Speaking to NOW! over the phone, Ashish Lepcha [general secretary, AATS] informed that theirs is an apolitical organization like a civil society organisation and so there is no political color to the strike. “We just want the state government and the concerned department to look into our demands and take necessary action on them. We have placed our demands several times but no action has been taken yet”, he said, adding that it was this disinterest of the concerned officials in addressing their demands which has forced them to their present stand.
“Our demands are that our jobs should be made secure, we are not asking the government and the concerned department to regularize our appointments as regular teachers, but want that the annual process of re-appointment be done away with, like in the case of MR and WC employees”, he said and added that fresh appointments that are made every year also be stopped. This, he said, does not give weightage to their experiences as teachers.
The other demand is that fifty per cent reservation be provided to ad-hoc teachers in Teachers Eligibility Test [TET] without any criteria as such, he said and added that the TET criterion to be introduced is good but until and unless their demand regarding the TET is not met the association boycotts and condemns it.
The pen down, chalk down strike being observed by the ad-hoc teachers in the government schools across the state has been successful as around 85% teachers all over Sikkim did not attend their classes today, he claimed and added that it was the most successful in the West District, which, he said, recorded 100% participation.
The pen down, chalk down strike was done as per the announcement made by the AATS, during their last conference held recently and as it is the first day of the protest the AATS feels proud to claim such a huge success, added Mr. Lepcha.
“The dharna which we have begun from today is indefinite, but if there is any positive feedback regarding the issues from the state government or the concerned department then we will think on what needs to be done next,” he stated.
While only 11 AATS members could participate in the dharna here today, the organizers expect their numbers to swell in the coming days.

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