Block grant secondary school teachers on strike. File picture

Bhubaneswar, Aug. 6: Unfazed by the government’s threat of withdrawing grants and taking disciplinary action, the Block Grant Secondary School Teachers and Employees’ Association today decided to continue its agitation for an indefinite period till the fulfilment of its demands.

The association, which represents teachers and employees of 1983 block grant high schools across the state, has launched a state-wide agitation of locking up the schools.

The state government has taken a serious note of the agitation and threatened to withdraw block grant to these non-government schools and take disciplinary action against the agitating teachers and other employees.

State school and mass education minister Pratap Jena has warned the teachers of strict disciplinary action. “I appeal to the teachers to join duty else strict actions will be taken keeping in view larger interest of lakhs of students,” he said.

Yesterday, the state directorate of secondary education issued a public advertisement asking all agitating teachers and employees to join their duty immediately, failing which grant provided to these schools would be withdrawn. The directorate had also sought from the respective circle inspectors of school a list of teachers involved in locking of schools.

However, the association leaders today announced their decision to continue their agitation despite the threat. Announcing the decision at a news conference here today, president of the association Prasanta Kumar Mohapatra said: “There is no question of withdrawal of the agitation as our demands are genuine and legitimate.”

He also dared the government to furnish the details of the salary structures of the government-run schools and block grant schools in public.

The government had said that around Rs 5.79 lakh was being provided to each block grant school as annual grant. “But this money is being distributed amongst twelve teachers and employees. Thus, each teacher gets less than Rs 4,000 a month, which is one-fourth of the salary of a government school teacher,” said Prasant Pati, general secretary of the association.

The association also announced that all block grant teachers would sit on a hunger strike in front of the Assembly from August 17 till their demand was fulfilled. “We will not join duty until and unless our demands were met,” said Pati.

According to the government, teachers and employees of 1,620 of the total 1,982 block grant schools have boycotted their duty. A total of 24,000 employees work in block grant high schools and two lakh students are enrolled in these schools across the state.