Bhubaneswar: Agitating teachers and non-teaching staff of schools and colleges have decided to call off their protest till March 9 in the wake of the ensuing matriculation and Plus Two examination.
Recently, the state government assured them to fulfil six of their seven demands following a discussion.
Earlier, the teachers had threatened to boycott the annual examinations.
Around 5.9 lakh students will appear in the annual matriculation examination in the state on February 23 and as many as 3.2 lakh students will appear in the final Plus Two examinations scheduled on March 6.
A delegation of the Teachers' and Employees' United Forum met higher education minister Ananta Das and school and mass education minister Badri Narayan Patra at the state secretariat on Sunday. The ministers have reportedly assured them to take care of their demands.
Forum convener Golak Nayak said: "The meeting was held in a cordial manner. But, we could not reach at consensus. The ministers have requested us to co-operate during the exams."
On the other hand, Das hoped that the teachers would permanently call off their protest.
"The agitation will directly affect the students and their future. The teachers have a lot of responsibilities towards the students. The examinations will be conducted and discussions are still going on. We hope that they will withdraw their agitation," said Das.
"Discussions on their demands are still on. We have also requested them to co-operate with the government keeping in mind the Bijepur elections," said Patra.
The forum has been staging a demonstration on the Mahatma Gandhi Marg in Bhubaneswar for the past 12 days demanding withdrawal of the clause mandating submission of affidavit to avail grant-in-aid. Despite several meetings, the decision remains inconclusive.
"The affidavit for grant-in-aid was a violation of fundamental rights. Although it promises financial benefits, it was of great harm to us as well. We want an official statement from the government on the withdrawal of the controversial sections," said the protesting teachers' leader Prakash Mohanty.
