Teachers avoid exam duty

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, February 19, 2019: Sharva Shiksha Abhiyan  (SSA) and Rastriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan  (RMSA) teachers avoided higher secondary school exam duties and staged sit-in rallies at zonal education department offices on Monday across the state during their cease work strike that was launched on February 4.

The higher secondary school examinations began on Monday.

The teachers said they will also abstain from exam duties in the high school leaving certificate exam that would begin on February 20.

The teachers’ association had also appealed the chief electoral officer to exempt duties to all the RMSA and SSA teachers if government failed to fulfil the demands.

M. Khogendra Singh, an upper primary school teacher said, “We were recruited as regular teachers. The state government should immediately act to fulfill our demand to facilitate us like other regular employees as.”

“Our salaries have been pending for 7-8 months. We have been facing various economic problems in running our families, ” he added.

The teachers in strike hold placards embedded,”No pay no work, stop discriminating RMSA and SSA teachers, don’t give false promises, we too have families, don’t betray the builders of the nation.”

They complained that they get salaries on instalment basis for 2/3 times in a year and that too with backlog salaries.

The teachers have been demanding to absorb in the education department as a policy of the Government of Manipur to do away with long pending problems of the teachers.

Listing their demands the teachers’ association on January 28 submitted a memorandum to chief minister N. Biren Sinh provided copies to the education minister, education commissioner and its director.

They cautioned to fulfil the demands by February 2 failing which would resort to take up several forms of agitations.

As it failed the teachers took up the cease work strike.

There are 990 teachers under RMSA who were recruited during 2011-2016, and there are 2460 teachers under SSA who were appointed during 2012-2016.