IMPHAL, Feb 13: The Council of Teachers Association (COTA) submitted a memorandum drawing immediate attention of the President of India to intervene in the ongoing situation of Teachers’ strike in the State of Manipur.
At the same time, the COTA in a statement said that altogether 146 teachers including 34 lady teachers have been sent to jail, with the arrest and lodging of five more teachers who has been staging fast unto death, yesterday.
In the memorandum the COTA mentioned that a Mou was signed between a joint team of representatives of COTA, the JAC of AMTUC and AMGEO, Manipur Secretariat Employees Association (MASA) on one side with the delegates of Manipur Government on the other side on May 19, 2010 ensuring the implementation of the 6th revised pay for the employees of Manipur in toto. But the state government led by O. Ibobi Singh is in the mood to violate the Mou by refusing the legitimate demand of the teachers especially from Elementary to Higher Secondary, it claimed.
It further asserted that to grasp the demand the teachers launched a series of agitations which included chalk duster down, cease work strike, relay hunger strike, etc from November 5.
However to the dismay of the teachers no sign of solution from the part of Government have been pursued and left with no options the teachers have to queue up their agitation with “fast unto death†in the heart of the capital Imphal from January 19, 2011, it said adding the situation came amidst the enacting of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and also against the New Education Policy, 1986 and against the speech of the President of India on the eve of the 62 Republic Day of India.
It maintained that inspite of the participation in the Republic Day celebration this year; the teachers are invited into the jail since January 21 with the numbers of teachers kept in jail by the State Government reaching 146 including 34 lady teachers. It has questioned the real meaning of Republic adding the right of sovereignty, democratic and socialist republic of India has been deprived seriously in the state of Manipur.
Instead of bringing a solution to the issue the Chief Minister has continued to misguide the people of the state in every public meeting with the wrong interpretation about the shortage of state resource for the payment of salary. It has further alleged that the state government while trying to misguide the general public has forgotten that it has already snatched a huge amount of arrear amounting to about 600 crores from the teachers for 51 months with effect from January 1, 2006 to September 30, 2009.
In the meantime, the memorandum while welcoming the propose visit of the President of India, has drawn intervention from the President at the earliest possible.
