School teachers stage demonstration in Bhubaneswar against Govt failure to meet demands

Bhubaneswar: Thousands of secondary school teachers staged a demonstration in Bhubaneswar in protest against Odisha government’s failure in meeting their 21-point charter of demands.

The teachers gathered at Lower PMG in the city in response to the call of the Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association (OSSTA) for holding the protest. On February 4, the OSSTA had threatened to go for the agitation, if the government failed to meet their demands by February 7.

The agitating teachers told the media that despite holding meeting with their representatives several times to fulfil their demands, no step had been taken so far. The government’s indifferent attitude towards their problems had forced them to resort to agitation, they added.

The teachers’ demands included grants to eligible schools, salary system for 226 and 399 school teachers, removal of anomalies in the grade pay of Rs 2800, extension of retirement age of teachers to 62 years and pension for retired teachers of unaided schools.

The agitating teachers warned of intensifying their agitation if the government fails to meet their demands soon.