The All Assam Lower Primary Teachers’ Association (ALPTA) has given four days to the state government to revise the pay-scale for primary teachers or face indefinite strike across the state.
According a The Telegraph report, the teachers’ association set the deadline during a meeting with chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday night.
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The protest was called just a day after Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accepted the recommendations of the Pay Anomaly Committee, formed last year.
ALPTA general secretary Ratul Chandra Goswami said according to the recommendations of the committee, the teachers of both primary and Middle English schools should be paid Rs 8,700, but the state government has announced a grade pay of Rs 7,400 for primary teachers.
“This is the first time a government has decided to slash the salary of the employees. With the recommendations of the committee, the state government has created differences between a teacher of Middle English and that of a primary school, though both are equal in terms of educational qualifications. Any person who has passed higher secondary is eligible to apply for both the teachers’ posts,” Goswami said.
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On the other hand, after an executive meeting held on Sunday here, ALPTA has announced to lock every district-level education department offices on June 18, if Dispur fails to meet the deadline. Moreover, from that day, no head teacher of any primary school of the state will continue their activity and no teacher will cooperate in the upcoming Gunotsav, the assessment drive carried out by state education department.
“We had given four days time to the chief minister on Saturday. However, after discussing the matter in the executive meeting, we have decided to wait for seven days for Dispur’s response. If the government does not respond, then we may have to start an indefinite strike,” Goswami said.