Contract teachers protest outside MP’s house in Noida

The protesters started their march from Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal towards Sector 15-A to meet Member of Parliament Mahesh Sharma. On reaching his house, they were stopped by security guards.

Hundreds of Shiksha Mitra (contract teachers) staged a protest outside the entry gate of Sector 15A in Noida on Friday, demanding they be given the position of Sahayak Adhyapak (assistant teachers), a posting that has been cancelled by the Supreme Court.

The teachers’ protest led to a huge jam on the Delhi-Noida Link Road and Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.(Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

The protesters started their march from Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal towards Sector 15-A to meet Member of Parliament Mahesh Sharma. On reaching the entry gate, they were stopped by security guards.

The contract teachers said their income would be affected. An assistant teacher earns Rs 39, 200 per month, whereas a Shiksha Mitra gets Rs 3,500 per month. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo)

They sat on the Delhi-Noida Link Road, blocking traffic. Their march from Rashtriya Dalit Prerna Sthal had already caused a massive snarl on the Delhi-Noida Link Road as well as on Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.

The congestion prevailed for almost an hour and commuters had a harrowing reaching their destinations. Traffic police had to issue an advisory on social networking sites, asking people to avoid the snarl-hit roads.

Protesters holding banners and placards protested against the cancellation of their appointment as assistant teachers.

Even as the protest continued outside his house, Mahesh Sharma came out and interacted with the protesters and assured them that their matter will be taken up with the Centre and the state government. A memorandum addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating the demands of Shiksha Mitras, was also handed over to him.

Shiksha Mitra Gautam Budh Nagar president Jagbir Bhati said, “In the entire district, there are 715 Shiksha Mitras and, of these, 590 were made Sahayak Adhyapak in 2014. Now the Supreme Court has cancelled their appointment and we are back to our previous posts. It has affected the life of people who have been working for the last 16 years.”

The Supreme Court had observed that a requisite qualification was not there to elevate Shiksha Mitras. Bhati said they can be saved only by the intervention of the state government.

He said that their incomes would get affected. An assistant teacher earns Rs 39, 200 per month, whereas Shiksha Mitra gets Rs 3,500 per month.