No promotion, extra hours: 2,000 government teachers hit the streets in protest
Noida: Nearly 2,000 teachers from govt primary schools in the city and Ghaziabad staged a protest, demanding reforms in old rules, promotions, and pensions, among other issues. The protest, organised by the various teachers' associations, was held in front of the Basic Shiksha Adhikari (BSA) and district collectorate office on Wednesday.
Teachers claimed that the school timings were extended by an hour post-Covid to cope with immediate learning losses, but even three years later, they have not been reverted.
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Also, teachers recruited in 2011 say they continue to wait for promotion despite the 12-year cut-off. They are also demanding a pension and inter-district transfer.
A written petition was submitted by teachers' associations to the basic education department, highlighting a 15-point charter of demands, including the implementation of the old pension scheme for post-2005 appointees, long-stalled promotions.
One of the major concerns raised was the lack of promotions in primary schools, leaving many institutions without principals. Teachers claimed that despite handling the duties of a head, assistant teachers continue to remain in the same position without due benefits or recognition.
"Over 20 schools in Ghaziabad don't have a principal. The assistant teachers and shiksha mitras who are appointed as school in-charges are given all responsibilities of a principal. However, there has not been adequate remuneration or promotion over the past 10 years. Moreover, teachers don't even get a pension, like other govt employees," said Layik Ahmed, a member of the teachers' association, Ghaziabad.
"After Covid, school timings were changed from 7am to 12pm to 8am to 2pm. These timings were changed to help students cope with learning loss. Now that everything has come to normal, school timings must be changed given the excessive heat," said Praveen Sharma, a teacher in Noida.
The teachers further demanded improvements in the Manav Sampada portal, used for managing records. "There are frequent technical glitches and complex procedures for rectifying personal details and submitting applications. The system should be decentralised," said another teacher.
Other grievances included the need for group insurance reinstatement, Aadhaar verification issues affecting student DBT benefits, lack of special allowances for disabled teachers, and pending dues related to withdrawn group insurance schemes.
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