Odisha contractual teachers refuse to budge until reemployment

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Dec 24:

A day after failure of talks between the contractual teachers and the Odisha Government and on the eleventh day of their marathon agitation, Odisha’s contractual teachers sat through the cold and rain and shouted anti-government slogans at the Lower PMG area of Bhubaneswar demanding reemployment.

“The government has been making promises time and again and has not acted on its own words so far. There is nothing good about some officials making few more promises. I fail to see, why they resort to lies all the while,” said an agitator.

Same sentiment was echoed by the President of Contractual Teachers’ Association Pradipta Kumar Pradhan.

“Earlier the government had made us promises on November 26 and December 2. He even announced in the Assembly that we would be reemployed by second or third week of December. The minister, however, has not kept his word. We are not able to trust his assurances anymore. Anyway, we don’t have jobs and stand nothing to lose if we continue our agitation on the streets,” said Pradhan.

Speaking to reporters, School and Mass Education Minister Debi Prasad Mishra today said that the government is yet to receive any instruction from SAT and would take the necessary steps only after it is received.

“I am helpless if they understand the situation yet pretend not to understand. Yesterday we had a three hour long discussion on the issue. They very well know that we are yet to receive the tribunal order. I have spoken to the Advocate General to expedite the process and we would act as soon as it is received,” said Mishra.

Notably, the government had earlier sought time till January 10 to solve the issue.