Cuttack, March 11: Orissa High Court has set a 20-day deadline for the state government to submit the action taken report to settle the dispute with teachers in grant-in-aid (block grant) schools in connection with their demands.

Yesterday, the court fixed the deadline, while hearing a PIL. The teachers of these recognised private schools, managed by their respective managing committees, receive grant-in-aid in the shape of block grant. They have been demanding full grant-in-aid to get salaries on a par with their counterparts in government schools. The teachers had been on strike for 42 days in August-September last year to press for their demands. A PIL was filed by one Babaji Sahoo, 62, a social activist, to declare the teachers' strike illegal on the ground that it infringed the fundamental rights (Right to Education) of students.

On September 16, the court disposed the petition "with no further orders", but observed that "the parties concerned should arrive at an amicable arrangement and under no circumstances the education of the children should be paralysed by teachers and their representatives upon whom higher social responsibility of education of the children rests". Markatnagar resident Sahoo returned to the court with another PIL when the teachers went on strike from February 5 and threatened to boycott the HSC examination.

On February 19, the court had directed the agitating teachers "to co-operate with the ensuing HSC examination" and fixed March 10 to consider the claims and demands of the block grant teachers.

"The division bench of Chief Justice Vineet Saran and Justice Pradip Mohanty yesterday posted the matter to March 30 and directed the state government to file an affidavit on steps taken by it to settle the dispute with the teachers by then," state counsel Sisir Das told The Telegraph today.

"In the interim, the court expected the teachers to continue to co-operate in the HSC examination process as directed earlier on February 19," Das said. The dispute involves demands of nearly 31,000 teachers of 2,608 block grant high schools.

The concept of block grant came for the first time in the grant-in-aid order of 2004. Advocate general Surya Prasad Mishra had earlier submitted in the court a written note, stating that considering the plight of the teachers and economic capacity of the government, quantum of grant-in-aid (block grant) had been enhanced from 40 per cent of basic pay to 60 per cent of basic pay in 2008. Subsequently in 2013, the grant-in-aid (block grant) was increased to 100 per cent of basic pay and the school employees accepted it, the advocate general had stated.

According to the prevailing grant-in-aid (block grant), the teachers are getting a salary of Rs 13,500, which includes basic pay of Rs 9,300 and grade pay of Rs 4,200 (all provided by the government). They are demanding full grant-in-aid for other allowances and incremental benefits on a par with their counterparts in government schools.<>A government teacher on appointment now receives over Rs 30,000, which includes Rs 13,500 (basic pay plus grade pay), DA and other allowances, along with provision of receiving incremental benefits from time to time.