Ludhiana: Teachers hold statewide protest, slam government over unmet promises
Government school teachers from across the state gathered outside Punjab Agricultural University for a statewide protest rally on Wednesday. The demonstration was led by various teachers' unions, including the Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF) Punjab, 6635 ETT Teachers Union, 4161 Master Cadre Union, and others. Terming the policies of the Punjab government as discriminatory and unjust, the teachers accused the government of turning its back on them, claiming that the tall claims of bringing an 'Education revolution' now appear to be hollow.
The agitated teachers raised various issues, such as job insecurity after being removed from recruitment lists, exclusion from transfer processes, failure to regularise meritorious school staff, non-implementation of old pension schemes, pending promotions, blocked allowances, and pay scale disparities. They slammed the government for issuing termination notices to teachers whose futures remain uncertain due to faulty recruitment decisions.
The protest saw participation from teachers working hundreds of kilometers away from their hometowns who were denied even basic transfer opportunities after promotions.They demanded the implementation of a court decision regarding providing full pay to 5,178 teachers during probation and regularisation of 7,654 Hindi subject educators and open distance learning teachers. The termination order of Ravinder Kamboj and delay in regular orders for several cadres were highlighted as examples of deep-rooted injustice.
'Ravinder was appointed on a contractual basis in 2013 and was due for regularisation in 2016. However, he was abruptly terminated in 2015 on the grounds that his postgraduate degree was not in the relevant subject. In a major relief, the Punjab and Haryana high court ruled in his favour in February this year, ordering the state government to regularise his services. Despite the court's directive, the government has failed to act, and Kamboj continues to work on a meagre monthly salary of ₹10,300 — the same since his initial appointment in 2013,' explained DTF president Vikram Dev Singh.
Union leaders, including Vikram Dev Singh, Tina, Gaurav Sharma, and others addressed the protestors, demanding cancellation of direct recruitment orders for principals and block primary education officers (BPEOs) and restoration of 25% direct recruitment and 75% promotion quota.
They further pressed for pay scale revisions for physical training instructors and art and craft teachers, regular jobs for contract and volunteer teachers, restoration of blocked rural and border allowances, and immediate fulfilment of all pending teacher promotions and recruitments. As tensions rose during the protest march, a brief scuffle broke out with the police. 'Our rally concluded as we have been assured meetings with the education secretary on June 13 and the chief minister on June 18 by the district administration officials,' said Vikram.
'This protest sent a clear message. Punjab's teachers are no longer willing to be silent victims of broken promises,' said Deepak Kamboj, state president of the 6635 ETT Teachers' Union.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
7 hours ago
- The Print
Have asked all work in education dept to be done in Hindi: Haryana minister
India does not have a national language. Hindi is among the 22 official languages of the country. Speaking to reporters in Kurukshetra on Wednesday, Dhanda said people will benefit if government correspondence was done in Hindi. Chandigarh, Jun 12 (PTI) Haryana Education Minister Mahipal Dhanda said all work under his department should be done in Hindi as a majority of the state's population speaks the language and it was the 'national language'. Addressing mediapersons during an event on Narendra Modi's 11 years as prime minister, Dhanda said, 'Hindi is our national language. Why should we work in English? I don't know English…though I can understand it somewhat…. In our state, 90 per cent of the people are far removed from English.' Dhanda said the vast majority of people will not understand government correspondence if it is done in English. 'We cannot do injustice to 90-95 per cent people for 5-7 per cent people.' 'So, I said my department will do all work in Hindi so that everyone understands what is written. I would prefer it if all work in Haryana is done in Hindi,' the minister said. Later in a post in Hindi on X, Dhanda said, 'Hindi is our mother tongue and also our identity. We are proud of our mother tongue. It will be my endeavour that Hindi gets respect and priority in every field and Hindi is implemented everywhere.' Senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala reacted to the minister's remarks in a post on X on Thursday. He said, 'I agree with Mahipal Dhanda that Hindi is our national language. We are proud of it and if someone does not know English, then there is no shame or problem in it'. 'But as the education minister of Haryana, his statement that our youth, our next generations do not need to learn English along with Hindi is not correct. In this way we will deprive them from progressing in the world. There should be no hesitation in knowing and learning English and there is no need to oppose it unnecessarily,' Surjewala posted in Hindi on X. Surjewala said English is a 'link language' all over the world, especially in south India. Knowing English opens countless doors to employment as well as technology and science, increasing possibilities, the Congress leader said. 'More than one million people from Delhi and the country work in Gurugram alone and most of them are from outside Haryana. Reason – Be it a call centre or a software company, knowing fluent English is mandatory to get a job. 'If the youth of Haryana, who are very talented, are well versed in English, then it will help them in getting good employment in their state. This is the criterion for good employment in IT, software, technology companies of Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram,' he added. In the age of internet, artificial intelligence, advanced engineering, robotics, solar and hydrogen revolution, the whole world is changing rapidly, Surjewala said. 'Knowledge, science, technology and innovation are the keys to the future. The link language for all these is English. Therefore, it is important that we train our youth in English along with Hindi. This is important for the state as well as for the future of the youth,' he said. PTI SUN SKY SKY This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Official work in Hindi, says Haryana education min — ‘I myself do not know English'
Gurgaon: Haryana education minister Mahipal Dhanda has directed his department to conduct all official work in Hindi. "I myself do not know English, and 90% of the people in our state are far from (understanding) English. Therefore, so that people can understand official work, I have ordered all work in the education department to be done in Hindi," the minister said at a press conference in Kurukshetra on Thursday. The announcement was made days after the directorate of higher education issued an order on June 10, saying all official correspondence "must henceforth be presented in Hindi". It also specified that any communication to the education minister and the additional chief secretary (education) should be in Hindi as well. Until now, the state education department had the option to use both Hindi and English. Calling Hindi the "rastrabhasha (national language)", Dhanda said that this policy is not "anti-English". "We are not enemies of English... We are not in favour of stopping English. Knowledge of other languages is also necessary. English-medium schools are still being opened in the state. For me, language is mainly to acquire knowledge, rather than becoming a barrier in practical work," the minister said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo The Indian Constitution does not name any "national language", and both Hindi and English are recognised as "official languages". Dhanda on Wednesday pointed out that the policy is only for official communication and it is not related to academics. "What's the problem in this (policy)? It's a mode of communication, do it in any language... Hindi is better understood by people," a senior education department official in Panchkula said. Dushyant Thakran, a school teacher in Gurgaon, questioned if the policy would make any difference. "Schools are already focused on teaching children English," he said. Before this, controversy has erupted on the implementation of central govt's NEP, which pushes for a "three-language formula". Tamil Nadu govt has accused the Centre of trying to impose Hindi on the state, though the BJP govt has denied the charge as an unnecessary controversy. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
BJP seek LG's intervention as mandatory Urdu test for revenue official recruitment sparks outrage in Jammu
File photo: J&K LG Manoj Sinha (PTI) JAMMU: The mandatory requirement of knowledge of Urdu for recruitment as naib tehsildars (revenue officials) in Jammu and Kashmir has triggered uproar in the Jammu division, with J&K BJP brass meeting LG Manoj Sinha on Thursday to press for scrapping the move. The J&K Services Selection Board (JKSSB) issued a notification on June 9 for the recruitment of 75 naib tehsildars, with Urdu language test designated compulsory to qualify for the post. The notification has youths and organisations up in arms in the Jammu region, where students mostly study Hindi or Punjabi. Students and BJP-affiliated organisations have held protests decrying the move and accusing the Omar Abdullah government of depriving Jammu's youths of employment opportunities. J&K BJP president Sat Sharma and leader of opposition in the assembly Sunil Sharma on Thursday called on the LG and sought his intervention. Pointing out that the UT had five official languages — Hindi, English, Kashmiri, Dogri and Urdu — they said making the knowledge of one of these languages mandatory violated the constitutional principles of equal opportunity and administrative impartiality. The move created an unfair barrier as it was disadvantageous to aspirants from the Jammu division, they stressed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Walgreens Hides This Cheap 87¢ Generic Viagra from Seniors – Here's Why fridayplans Learn More Undo BJP MLA Vikram Randhawa described the eligibility criterion as a 'conspiracy to block Jammu youth from securing govt jobs'. Former deputy CM Kavinder Gupta of the BJP demanded an immediate review of the decision and called for ensuring a level playing field to all candidates, irrespective of their regional and linguistic backgrounds. Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) activists held a massive protest in Jammu against what they termed a discriminatory and biased provision. ABVP, too, organised protests at all district headquarters in Jammu. Lashing out at the Omar govt, head of J&K chapter of BJYM, Arun Prabhat, said: 'The imposition of Urdu is a deliberate attempt to exclude deserving candidates from Jammu. Such regional discrimination will not be tolerated and we demand an immediate rollback.' A controversy over the issue in the past had prompted the J&K administration to decide in Nov 2022 that Urdu would not be mandatory for the naib tehsildar recruitment test, whenever these are held. Since then, JKSSB had not advertised any vacancies for the post or initiated the recruitment process. However, J&K Urdu Coordination Committee, Kashmir wing, had at that time expressed disappointment over the decision.
