Other States - Orissa

State concedes demands of Sikshya Sahayaks

BHUBANESWAR: Bowing to the pressure exerted by teachers’ community since the beginning of the winter session of the Assembly, the Orissa government on Wednesday conceded a number of their demands.

When Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik made the announcement on the floor of the House in the post lunch session, thousands of teachers, who had been squatting on Mahatma Gandhi Marg for the past few days, cheered the decisions by raising slogans.

“The Sikshya Sahayaks (SS), who have completed six years of continuous and satisfactory service, will become eligible for regular primary school teachers under zilla parishad. This will be effective from April 1, 2008,” Mr. Patnaik read out the statement amidst ‘disruptive’ slogans from the Opposition parties.

Moreover, Sikshya Sahayaks, who were getting Rs. 2000 honorarium per month, would be given Rs. 3000 per month, he said.

“After completion of three years continuous and satisfactory engagement, honorarium of such sahayaks will be enhanced to Rs. 3,500 per month. This benefit will be made effective from December 1, 2007,” the Chief Minister said.

Following the assurances, teachers belonging to Orissa Sikshya Sahayak Association (OSSA) called off their ongoing strike and decided to join the duty.

Similarly, consolidated remuneration of teachers engaged on contract basis in different government high schools was enhanced for Trained Graduate Teachers (TGT) from Rs. 2500 to Rs. 4000 per month and for non-TGTs from Rs. 1500 to Rs. 3000 per month, Mr. Patnaik said.

Moreover, the quantum of block grants being paid to a private high school which had employed the required number of teaching and non-teaching staff as per the prescribed yardstick and duly approved by the competent authority was enhanced from the existing level of Rs. 1,68,912 per annum to Rs. 3,65,628 per annum, he said.

“The amount of block grant being paid to each upper primary school is enhanced from the existing level of Rs. 33,564 per annum to Rs. 68736 per annum,” Mr. Patnaik said.

Different teachers’ groups had built well-orchestrated movements in the run-up to the winter session. While teachers and employees of schools receiving block grants abstained from their duty since November 1 and faced lathi-charge, Sikshya Sahayaks and other contract teachers stopped going to schools. The capital city too witnessed assemblage of teachers in thousands.

“As many as 7,661 teachers, who were appointed in 2001, would immediately get regularised from the coming April while others would gradually be benefited by the decision. However, we will resume agitation if the government failed to keep its promise,” said OSSA president Rajesh Mohanty.

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