The primary and upper primary school education system in Odisha has been badly hit as 1.30 lakh teachers from over 54,000 schools took mass leave after closing schools across the state.About 40 lakh students in state-run schools stayed home as teachers staged a protest calling for the abbolition of the contractual appointment system and the reinstatement of old pensions. The Odisha government urged the teachers to call off their strike, but they persisted.The teachers, under the banner of the United Primary Teachers Federation, launched an indefinite agitation last Friday (September 8) for the fulfillment of their demands, including the abolition of the contractual appointment system, a hike in grade pay and the restoration of the old pension scheme.Brahmananda Maharana, an agitating teacher, claimed that since the administration did nothing to accede to their requests, the aggrieved teachers went on mass leave and organized demonstrations outside the offices of block education officers (BEOs).Primary and upper primary education in 54,000 schools has suffered significantly as a result of the protests. After prayers, most schools were locked, although others still had one or two teachers teaching.“Instead of looking into our demands, the government has constituted a sub-committee. When an inter-ministerial panel has already been constituted, what is the need for the sub-committee” a teacher leader asked. He also alleged that the sub-committee was formed “only to delay the process”.The state government has come under fire from the opposition BJP and Congress for failing to address the concerns of school teachers. While Sarat Pattanayak, president of the state congress, claimed that the education system in Odisha has become “emergency-like.” He claimed that the government is doing little to address their problems.
