IMHAL Feb 16: The census 2011 drive of the state may face the peril of incompletion unless the state government secedes to the demands of the Council of Teachers`™ Association which includes in toto implementation of the 6th revised central pay.
Addressing mediapersons at Johnston Higher Secondary School today, co- convenor of COTA, Ch Santa stated that as a means to intensify the protest of the teachers, the council has adopted to withdraw the teachers who are currently employed on task of head count for the census 2011. He stated that out of the nearly 10,000 teachers who are members of the council, at least 7,000 teachers are employed as enumerators. The enumerators will surrender their assignment along with relevant materials to the concerned shortly unless the government acknowledges the demand of the teachers to give the 6th pay scale in totality. He mentioned that it is due to the enumeration drive that the students are deprived of classes and not by the protest of the teachers.
Further clarifying to the issue of disturbances created to the educational calendar, he maintained that the ongoing fast onto death is participated by two teachers from each institution; however the alienating nature of the state government has forced the teachers to take up stronger means of agitation.
`The teachers will undergo a joint hunger strike ,and all the teachers will participate in the protest so that the Sajiwa jail will be filled ,all the necessary arrangements have been prepared and the agitation will start at the earliest`, Santa said.
He further stated that there are 122 male and 43 female teachers imprisoned at Sajiwa jail at present.
Highlighting the plight suffered by the teachers under judicial custody, he alleged that the teachers are ill treated, beaten and force fed. Some of the teachers still on the fast are fed forcibly by the jail authorities and beaten up if they resist, there are three teachers who are in serious condition from such torture, he stated and moreover the teachers are thrown in along with the common criminals inside the jail, such action of the jail authorities are condemned, he maintained.
Instead of giving the rightful demand of the teachers, the protest is presented in the wrong light by the state authorities by saying that if the wages of the teachers are paid according to the revised 6th central pay scale, there will be no funds for other developmental works in the state. The co-convenor ridiculed the clarification from the Chief Minister stating that the salary of the teachers would be paid from the non plan budget ,and developmental works pertain to the development packages and plans chalked out by the state for a fiscal year. He appealed to the state government to acknowledge the rightful demands of the teachers failing which will become the undoing of the state government.
