June 17, 2021 8:26:12 am
Teachers sit on protest at Punjab School Education Board office in Mohali on Wednesday. Express Photo: Jasbir Malhi At least 13,000 ad hoc and temporary teachers from the state held a protest, demanding immediate redressal of their demand to regularise their services, on Wednesday.
The teachers’ unions later met representatives of the Punjab government at the circuit house in Khanna after the government assured them of discussing their demands. The meeting between the teachers and the state government will be held on Thursday.
Seven of the protesting teachers climbed atop the building of Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) while carrying petrol, threatening to extreme steps if their demands were not heard. “The teachers have been working since long on meagre salaries. They have a genuine demand but the government is not listening to them. Just see the inflation, we cannot pay for the basic needs of our family. What is the use of working the entire day?” questioned a teacher.
Rajwinder Kaur, one of the protestors, swallowed sulphas tablets, following which she was taken to a private hospital. Her condition was stated to be stable at the time of filing this report.
Teachers from across the state started gathering in the city since Wednesday morning, planning to protest outside the Education Secretary’s office. However, owing to tight security arrangements, the protest was held outside the PSEB office.
During the march a minor scuffle also broke out between the protestors and policemen on duty.
Ajmer Singh Aulakh, president of the five protesting teacher unions, said that the protesting teachers have been working for the last 18 years, but had not been reguralised by the government despite making several claims. “The protesting teachers have been getting the salaries between Rs 3,500 to 8,000. Is it enough to run our household?” questioned Aulakh.
Stating further, Aulakh said Captain Amrinder Singh had met them in December 2015 and promised to reguralise their jobs the day he came to power. “It has been six years since then, what did he do for us? We had to protest because despite fulfilling all the qualifications, they still did not get the required salaries,” Aulakh added.
The teachers also alleged that the government is deliberately denying to meet them.
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