Assam: TET-qualified teachers stage protest in Karbi Anglong, seek job regularisation

The TET-qualified teachers of Karbi Anglong on Tuesday staged protest against the statement of Assam education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharjee, who allegedly compared them with ‘drivers’.

The protesting teachers later submitted a memorandum to Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal demanding regularisation of their jobs.

In Diphu, the TET-qualified teachers, engaged on contractual basis in primary schools from all over Karbi Anglong, joined their 41,000 colleagues across the state who staged protest seeking regularization of their services.

Also read: Assam TET qualified teachers begin ‘driver’ campaign against minister Bhattacharya

The agitating teachers submitted their memorandum to the chief minister through the deputy commissioner of Karbi Anglong.

Talking to the media in front of the DC office at Diphu, the district headquarters of Karbi Anglong district, the president of the Karbi Anglong TET Teachers’ Association, Uma Kanta Teron said, “The statement of the education minister is unacceptable. As the education minister, his statement is unfortunate. We are not to sit for TET again as we are already engaged and there is no reason to sit for the examination for the second time.”

“Our jobs should be regularised now. We believe that the present chief executive member of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council will take initiative in this regard. He was also the executive member of education before becoming the CEM. Under his initiative, we were engaged as teachers and we now believe that he will look into our problems,” said Teron.

Teron also said, “We also want pay protection. We want our problems to be solved. We are not going to sit for examination again and again.”

In West Karbi Anglong, TET-qualified teachers marched to the DC office at Hamren and submitted a memorandum addressed to the chief minister.

The teachers said the BJP-led state government should fulfil its promise made during the last Assembly election to regularise their jobs. “Even after three years of the BJP-ruled government the promise remains unfulfilled,” they said.