PANAJI
Teachers appointed on a lecture basis have called off their proposed protest on October 23 following Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s assurance that contractual employees in the education sector who have completed 10 years of service will be regularised, including teachers working under the Samagra Shiksha programme.
The teachers had set October 22 as the deadline for the government to address their pending demands and formulate a clear policy for contractual teachers who have been serving for 10 to 15 years.
The educators said lecture-based teachers in general and vocational courses had not received clarity from the Education Department on their employment status or their demand for better remuneration.
The teachers said they are currently paid Rs 400 per lecture.
While they earlier received around 104 to 106 lectures a month, they are now being allotted only two lectures a day, resulting in reduced monthly earnings despite their several years of service.
Ajay Prabhugaonkar, who has been raising the issue of teachers’ rights, said the teachers were satisfied with the assurance given by the Chief Minister, who stated that the regularisation process would be initiated within 15 days.
“This is not just restricted to college or vocational course teachers but also high school teachers,” Prabhugaonkar said.
As directed by the Chief Minister, teachers who have completed 10 years or more of service will submit their individual documents to the respective departments to initiate the regularisation process.
The teachers said they would monitor the government’s action by the October 22 deadline before deciding on their further course of action.
