Samagra Shiksha staff warn of indefinite hunger strike over job regularisation

The Samagra Shiksha Sangharsh Samiti plans an indefinite hunger strike from March 9 if Maharashtra doesn't regularize remaining contractual employees.

Pune: The Samagra Shiksha Sangharsh Samiti has warned of an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai from March 9 if the Maharashtra government fails to take a decision on regularising the remaining contractual employees of Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan into government service.

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The committee had submitted a representation to school education minister Dada Bhuse demanding immediate action on the long-pending issue on February 17.

Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan is a centrally sponsored school education programme launched by the Government of India in 2018, integrating three earlier schemes — Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) and Teacher Education (TE). The scheme aims to provide inclusive and equitable quality education from pre-primary to Class 12 by supporting states in areas such as school infrastructure, teacher recruitment and training, digital learning, vocational education and education for children with special needs. It focuses on improving learning outcomes, reducing dropout rates and ensuring universal access to education across the country.

While 50% staff under the scheme were regularised through a government resolution issued on October 8, 2025, remaining employees working on contract for nearly 20 years have been demanding the same.

The indefinite hunger strike by protestors at Azad Maidan from March 4 to March 8, 2025 was temporarily suspended after authorities assured that they would look into the demands. Another hunger strike was held during the winter session of the state legislature in Nagpur from December 8 to December 12, 2025. Representatives of the agitation committee also met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde during this period and claimed to have received verbal assurances that the matter would be resolved at the earliest.

Yogita Balakshe, state president, Samagra Shiksha Sangharsh Samiti, said, “The state is yet to take a decision. If justice is not delivered by March 7, we will begin an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan from March 9,” she said.

The Samiti comprises more than 5,000 contractual employees of the Samagra Shiksha programme from several districts, including Nagpur, Palghar, Buldhana and Ratnagiri.

Meanwhile, the state education commissioner was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts to contact him on phone.