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Final school exams just a month away, Jharkhand para-teachers’ strike continues
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With final school examinations just over a month away, the fate of around one lakh students is hanging in balance as their schools are shut for over two months, due to a deadlock between the state government and para-teachers.
The students, studying in over 12,000 primary and middle schools across the state, have already missed out the periodic school test, known as summative assessment, in December 2018.
Worried parents have urged the government to end the deadlock at the earliest so that their children, who are under immense pressure due to the incomplete syllabus, could appear for the final examination in March.
Some 63,000 para-teachers went on strike from November 16 last year. Even as some came back to work after the threat of dismissal, more than 45,000 have continued the strike.
The ongoing strike impacted classes in about 35,000 schools, with 12,000 schools being very badly affected, since they were mostly run by para-teachers, Ekikrit Para Sikshak Sangharsh Morcha (EPSSM) office bearers claimed. However, Jharkhand Education Project Council (JEPC) officials have claimed around 9,000 schools is run by para-teachers and they are shut due to the strike.
A parent, Ayub Ansari, who runs an electrical shop in Gauria Karma village in Hazaribag, said, “My daughter, student of class 5, is sitting at home for more than two months due to closure of the school. She is worried about her syllabus, as whatever she studied in school earlier has been forgotten due to absence of revision. She already missed her periodic test in December. Now, her final examination is scheduled in March but she has no preparation.” Ansari said her daughter studies at a government primary school in Rohiniyatand in Hazaribag district.
“I do not understand, if the government is serious about education in schools. Will the government promote our children to upper classes without any examination, if para-teachers did not return to job for the next two months?” Ansari asked.
Sushil Kumar a farmer of Nawadih village, in Latehar district, said, “Since we are poor, the government doesn’t take interest about education of our children. Had the government been serious, it would have taken a concrete decision so far regarding the strike.”
Kumar said her daughter is a class 6 student in an upgraded middle school in Nawadih. “Education is completely hampered in the school since November due to the strike. There is a government teacher and three para-teachers in the school. After all three para-teachers went to strike, the government teacher alone teaches 300 students from classes 1 to 8. One can imagine what he will be teaching,” Kumar said.
EPSSM office bearers held the government responsible for hampering of school education. “The government is adamant on its stand and not ready to listen to our grievances. In such situation, things will not be resolved,” said EPSSM state member Sanjay Dubey, adding, we will not return to our work until the government meets our demands, mainly the wage fixation and regularisation on pattern of Chattisgarh.
JEPC administrative officer Jayant Mishra said, “The government is in frequent talks with the para-teachers’ association. Meetings are being conducted regularly to resolve the issue.We expect the strike will end soon,” he said. The final school examinations would be held in March and all issues would be resolved by then, Mishra added.
EOM
Para-teachers’ Strike enters 62nd day
Number of schools: 35,000 (approx)
Total teachers: 1.10 lakh teachers
Para-teachers: 65,000
Para-teachers on strike: Nov 16
Number of para teachers on strike: Over 45,000
Schools shut (As claimed by EPSSM: 12000
Schools shut (As claimed by JEPC): 9,000
Students affected due school closure: 1 lakh
Para teachers’ major demands:
1. Wage fixation and regularization on pattern of Chhattisgarh
2. Compensation to the families of teachers, who died during the strike
3. Withdrawal of cases lodged against the para-teachers during the November 15 agitation
