Delay in promotions, govt teachers announce protest on June 12

Ludhiana: The Ludhiana unit of the Democratic Teachers’ Front, Punjab, has taken a stern notice of the dilly-dallying attitude of the Punjab government and the district education officer (elementary education) towards the promotion of primary teachers.
At the same time, the teachers have taken up the issue of recent letters issued by the education department, directing teachers of mathematics, social studies and English subjects, working in various schools, to apply for transfers.
The teachers will hold a symbolic dharna on June 12 at 10 am in front of the district headquarters, Ludhiana, keeping in view the coronavirus guidelines.
Leaders and workers of various block units will also be present in the protest and press their demands on the Punjab government. They said if their demands are not met, a strategy will be devised by the organisation to intensify the stir.
The district president of the Democratic Teachers’ Front, Hardev Singh Mullanpur; general secretary Daljit Samrala, finance secretary Manjinder Cheema, and press secretary Gurpreet Singh said it seems that the educational and socio-economic interest of students and teachers have no place in the royal priorities of the Punjab government and the officials of the education department.
They said in this critical period, the government is keeping tight lipped and no policy has been framed for promotion of teachers.
“The government does not care about the fact that a teacher needs stability to carry on with his/her jobs in a quality manner, which cannot be sustained by repeated expulsions from one school to another,” they said.
Hardev Singh said, “Such an unbalanced policy of transfers will not bring any relief, but the education department will only suffer a massive structural setback.”
Daljit Singh said, “Besides the mental torture being inflicted upon the underprivileged students in the name of online education, teachers too are being victimized in the name of salary cuts. The government’s move to reduce quota of promotions and increase the quota for direct recruitment on basic meager salaries, has triggered the protest wave among teachers.”