Assam: Primary school teachers on strike over wages, 40 lakh students affected

After floods kept them away from schools for weeks this year, primary school students face a two-day disruption because of a strike by teachers.

Published on: Oct 16, 2017, 10:03:12 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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Nearly 40 lakh students across Assam will be affected as teachers of government primary schools in the state launched a two-day strike on Monday over discrepancy in wages.

File photograph of a school teacher in a primary school. (HT Photo)

The move will come as a blow to students whose studies were affected for several weeks earlier this year as Assam witnessed the worst floods in three decades forcing schools to shut down and many to act as relief camps.

The strike called by Assam State Primary Teachers’ Association (ASPTA), the umbrella organization of nearly 42,000 primary schools will see nearly 116,000 teachers stay away from work.

The teachers are upset with a notification of the state finance department issued in September, which had resulted in non-payment of their salaries as per 7th pay commission recommendations, since August.

“We have been getting salaries as per the 7th pay commission recommendations since April 2016, but the sudden decision by the finance department has affected us,” said Jiban Chandra Borah, president ASPTA.

As per the notification, graduate teachers who were drawing salaries in the pay scale beginning Rs 8,700 will now be getting scales of non-graduate teachers whose pay scale starts at Rs 6,200.

“We fail to understand how the finance department can take such a decision after paying us in the scale of Rs 8,700 for over 11 years. This has affected lakhs of families,” said Borah.

He said the teachers are aware of the affect the strike will have on students and will resume duties immediately if the government withdraws the notification and start paying them their dues as earlier.

Primary school teachers across Assam had remained away from duty on September 5 this year in protest against Centre’s new pension policy.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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