Bihar: Education minister urges teachers to call off strike

Faryal Rumi | TNN | Updated: Apr 14, 2020, 11:45 IST

Representative image

PATNA: Education minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma on Monday made a fresh appeal to striking contractual teachers of government schools to call off their indefinite strike and return to work by intimating the officials concerned through WhatsApp or e-mail.
The minister said the state government is ready to hold talks with the teachers’ associations after the lockdown gets over. “We want to talk to the teachers regarding their demands after the lockdown ends. It is a critical situation and the teachers should think of their families,” the minister told this newspaper.
Verma said teachers facing suspension, FIR and dismissal can also resume their duty. “However, they will be paid salaries only after the department revokes the suspension and dismissal while reviewing the nature of their case,” he said.
Two regular teachers of government schools were also dismissed for boycotting work. Around 4 lakh teachers of primary and secondary schools are on strike.
R K Mahajan, additional chief secretary of education department, said the department has released salaries of teachers till January. “Now, we are in the process of disbursing salary for the month of February. The department had already told the protesting teachers that there would be no pay for no work,” he said.