India News | Primary Teachers’ Chain Hunger Strike Enters 46th Day in Shimla, Seek Restoration of Earlier Cluster System

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) (India), September 9 (ANI): The chain hunger strike by primary teachers in Himachal Pradesh entered its 46th day in Shimla on Wednesday, with protesters demanding withdrawal of the revised School Complex System, restoration of the earlier resource-sharing arrangement and protection of their promotion avenues.

The protesting teachers said they have been holding the chain hunger strike since July 26, when thousands of primary teachers from across the state reached Shimla following a 15-day-long foot march. On the same day, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu addressed the teachers and assured them that their demands would be considered.

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However, the teachers said that despite the Chief Minister's assurances, nothing has so far been given to them in writing and the administrative-level notification required to implement the assurances is still awaited.

Speaking to the media, Harish Kumar, a primary teacher from Kangra district, said the agitation had now entered its 46th day and that talks with the government were continuing at the departmental level.

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He said the teachers' main objection was to the changes made in the cluster system. According to Kumar, the earlier notification was based on resource sharing, under which teachers, playgrounds, computers and other facilities could be shared without altering the administrative structure of schools.

“Now the system has been converted towards an arrangement in which the administrative structure of primary schools has effectively been brought under principals, which we are opposing,” Kumar said.

He claimed that the revised arrangement could adversely affect the promotion channel of primary teachers, particularly the posts of Chief State Teachers (CST) and Head Teachers (HT).

Giving an example, Kumar said that where a principal and a primary school centre fall within a 500-metre radius, placing the primary school under the administrative control of the principal could eventually make the existing CST structure irrelevant.

He claimed that in Kangra district alone, 13 posts of Central Head Teachers and 33 Head Teacher posts had already been affected under the new system, adding that the impact across the state could be much larger.

Kumar said there were more than 30,000 primary teachers in the state, while a large number of retired teachers and students pursuing JBT/D.El.Ed courses could also be indirectly affected.

He said the issue was not confined to serving teachers as the proposed changes could also affect future recruitment and promotion opportunities for JBT-trained candidates.

The teachers, however, maintained that their agitation was not affecting classroom teaching as they were participating in the chain hunger strike by taking leave and making arrangements at their respective schools.

Kumar said departmental-level negotiations were taking place, but the teachers were firm on their principal demand and would continue the agitation until a concrete decision was taken.

He also warned that if their demands were not accepted, the agitation could intensify, with the possibility of families and parents joining the protest.

Another protesting teacher, Kashmir Singh, said the teachers' primary demand was to scrap the “new complex system” and restore the earlier resource-sharing arrangement.

He said the promotion process for CST and HT posts, which was earlier handled at the Deputy Director level, should also be restored.

Singh also raised the issue of nursery classes being run in primary schools, saying that posts such as Multi-Task Workers (MTs) and other support staff should be created for these classes.

“If the government does not accept our demands, this hunger strike will take a bigger form and our families will also come onto the streets,” Singh said.

He too maintained that the protest was not affecting studies as teachers were joining the agitation on leave, with arrangements being made at their schools in their absence.

The teachers also questioned the government's claims regarding improvement in the state's education performance.

Kumar said primary teachers had played a major role in Himachal Pradesh's performance in national educational assessments and literacy initiatives. Referring to the National Achievement Survey, he said primary teachers had contributed significantly to the state's performance, particularly at the foundational level.

He also referred to the state's progress in literacy, arguing that primary teachers had played a key role in achieving those outcomes.

The protesters said they would continue their agitation as long as their demands remained unresolved.

Singh said the teachers' organisation, along with parents and families, could join the movement if the government failed to act.

The teachers reiterated that while they welcomed the Chief Minister's assurances made on July 26, they wanted the commitments to be translated into a formal written notification before calling off the agitation.  (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)