Members of All-Odisha Plus Two Vocational Teachers’ Association gherao the office of director of vocational education at the Odisha Primary Education Programme Authority building in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20: Resource persons from government vocational junior colleges today gheraoed the office of the director of vocational director here demanding job regularisation and infrastructure development.

The agitators, under the banner of All-Odisha Plus Two Vocational Teachers’ Association, said 231 such colleges were set up in the state in 1989 after vocational education started as a Centre-sponsored scheme.

However, at present, only 189 colleges are functional with 213 resource persons on the job. They said over 9,000 students enrolled themselves in 20 various trades every year under the programme.

President of the association Rabi Satpathy said several regular teaching and non-teaching posts were created, but never filled up. Instead, full-time resource persons were appointed on contractual basis for just Rs 8,000 per month, he said.

“At present, there are 231 vacant posts of junior lecturers and we are highly qualified for the posts, but the government is not considering regularising our services. In the absence of non-teaching staff, we are forced to double up as peons and clerks,” he said, adding that the colleges lacked basic infrastructure such as classrooms, laboratories and libraries.

A resource person said they were deprived of minimum benefits that the state government was extending to other contractual appointees. “The Centre is providing financial assistance for vocational education, so it is not a burden on the state exchequer,” Satpathy said.

Advisor of the association Golak Chandra Routray alleged that while the programme was running successfully in many other states, the Odisha government had neglected vocational education.

“Over 20 years have elapsed, but we have not got regular posts while high school contractual teachers are being regularised after six years of service. The government had promised to consider our demands last November, but nothing has been done,” said the resource person.

Director of vocational education Nivedita Jena said: “I have already written to the government about their demands, but I am not sure what is being done about it.”