Patna, July 10: Protest by thousands of temporary teachers who are demanding regularisation of their services turned violent here on Friday.
Many teachers and a couple of policemen were seriously injured in the incident.
Although, the situation is now under control after the police lathicharged the protestors and also used tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, but it is still tense and can erupt again given the sheer number of the protestors.
The whole issue pertains to the demand by the 1.75 lakh teachers – who were hired by the Nitish Kumar government in 2006 to plug the huge demand gap in the number of primary school teachers – that they be regularised and given paid equal to the regular government teachers.
A contractual teacher gets anything between Rs 5000 to Rs 7000, whereas a government teacher get almost double that demand.
The government had infact agreed to their demand but put in a condition that all teacher would have to pass (45% marks) in an eligibility test to be conducted for the purpose, before they are regularised by the government.
The government had brought in this clause through an amendment in the Bihar State Primary Teachers Service Rules, 2006, mandating that panchayat teachers achieve a minimum of 45 percent marks in a competency test to secure their job.
While the teachers are challenging the amendment on the ground that in the initial service condition rules for panchayat teachers, there was no mention of holding a test on the basis of which they might lose their job if they get less that 45 percent marks.
They are also contending that as per the rules framed in 2006 they would retire at the age of 60 years. The rules only provided that there would be evaluation of the panchayat teachers’ performance after three years of their service and there was no mention of holding a competency test, adding that not a single service condition or rule mentions any provision of holding competency tests.
The teachers have infact moved the Patna High Court against the government plans to conduct competency test. That’s why it is still unclear as to why they resorted to violence at this juncture.
Meanwhile, CM Nitish Kumar made a statement in the floor of the state Assembly today that he would in no case concede to the demands of the teachers and that they have to go trough the competency test as per the government rules.
–Agencies–