Bhubaneswar, Dec. 26: Students of various art institutions in the state have shunned classes for an indefinite period, criticising the state government for “ignoring” their longstanding demand for creation of art teacher posts in state-run schools.

“We have locked the colleges and will not allow classes to be held until the government brings out a notice to that effect,” said Liladri, one of the 300-odd agitating students of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya here.

He said all cultural programmes at the open-air Utkal Mandap would also be stalled until the government took “concrete steps to address their grievances”.

The agitating students said it was mandatory to fill teaching posts for music, dance, drama and fine arts in schools under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act.

“When the central schools and other private English medium schools are following the guideline, why not the state government?” asked Anil Kumar Mohapatra, a student.

A large number of students and graduates from Utkal University of Culture and many others from the five art colleges in the state have also joined the strike, boycotting classes and staging demonstrations outside their respective institutions.

“We had two meetings with government officials last week.

“First they asked for three months and then promised to publish an advertisement for hiring art teachers by January 15.

“But how do we trust them? They have broken every promise made to us in the last 18 months,” said Harihar Behera, a former student of the culture university and president of the all-Odisha art and crafts students’ association.

“We have locked the university since past 10 days and the government has not reacted at all. It is a shame,” he added.

The protesters rued a large majority of art graduates were languishing in poverty for the want of government jobs.

“There are no jobs for us in the art and culture field. A few youths are earning their livelihood by doing odd jobs in the film industry but there is no job security,” said Mohan Sairam, a student of the university.

Some students alleged while the government claims to have abolished all art teacher posts since 1991, a report of the finance department in 1998 reflected a revised scale of pay for the non-existent posts.

“We have got assurances time and again that the posts would be revived but no action has been taken in this regard so far,” said Tilottama Sahoo, a student.

Authorities of the Utkal University of Culture said they had been forced to cancel the unit tests on December 21 and 22, and also call off the varsity foundation day celebrations in the first week of January.

“The students had a dialogue with ministers and secretaries of the departments of culture and the school and mass education twice and the latter has assured them of bringing out an advertisement by mid-January for appointment of art teachers in schools.

“But, art students across the state have refused to end their agitation. Studies are suffering but our hands are tied too,” said Amiya Pattanayak, vice-chancellor of the varsity.