Primary Teachers Take Out Rally For Abolition Of Ex-Cadre System In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: A few days after secondary school teachers gheraoed the official residence of School and Mass Education Minister Samir Dash in Odisha capital, the primary school teachers took out a massive rally in support of their demands in the city on Tuesday.

Thousands of teachers under the aegis of Primary Teachers (Ex-Cadre) Mahasangh participated in the rally from Master Canteen square to PMG square to press their 8-point charter of demands. While the rally was heading towards Assembly to gherao it, the police deployed at the place stopped them and scuffle ensued with the agitating teachers.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the rally, president of the Mahasangh Sarat Chandra Nayak said their demands included abolition of deputation and ex-cadre system of the teachers by the state government. These teachers should be included in cadre-based services from March 1, 2017, he added.

Nayak further demanded that all primary teachers should be paid their monthly salary through government treasury and old pension provision restored. If the government fails to fulfil their demands soon, the teachers would be forced to intensify their agitation, he threatened.

It may be noted that members of Secondary School Teachers’ Association gheraoed the residence of School and Mass Education Minister Samir Dash on Friday demanding addition of 6 years of the contract period to their employment record for contractual teachers appointed between 2004 and 2013, six increments to their basic pay and a new pension plan.