Education minister Bratya Basu said on Wednesday that teachers and school staff who have lost their jobs must realise they cannot conduct disruptive protests and call for help from the government at the same time.
“What has happened (the lathi charge on teachers at the district inspector of schools’ office in Kasba) is extremely unfortunate, condemnable and undesirable. But while saying this, I would like to know why they had to go to the district inspector’s (DI) office in Kasba. After they interacted with the chief minister at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Monday, we assured them of extending all help, legal and otherwise, so they could be reinstated. Their leadership told us they would be meeting us this week. In such a situation, why did they have to start such a disruptive protest?” Basu said.
“When they have approached the government, could they not have waited for some time? There will still be time for protests. How can both disruptive protests and calls for help from the state government go hand in hand?” he asked.
An hour after the education minister met reporters, Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant said the state government had already filed a clarification petition before the Supreme Court, “requesting that the existing system may continue in the interest of the education system and the education of the children in the schools and, of course, in the interest of the teachers”.
The state secondary education board filed an appeal in the Supreme Court on Monday, asking that those terminated but deemed not specifically tainted be allowed to continue till fresh recruitments were made.
The chief secretary told a news conference at state secretariat Nabanna: “We will also be filing a review petition. The process for this is already underway, and our legal team is working. We appreciate the difficulties that the teachers are in because of the (court) order. But then there is a legal solution. We have to move the honourable Supreme Court and seek relief as is applicable and admissible in the judicial process, and we are doing that.”
“We have to abide by the Supreme Court’s order and at the same time seek relief, whatever is admissible within the law,” Pant said.
Addressing over 10,000 dismissed and aggrieved teachers and other school staff at Netaji Indoor Stadium on Monday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said the state would first seek clarification from the Supreme Court on who is tainted and who is not. “We will also ask how the schools can be run if so many jobs are scrapped,” Mamata said.
When the education minister was told that the protesting teachers staged demonstrations out of fear that their salaries could be frozen, Basu said: “Have we terminated them? I don’t know of any order that says their salaries could be frozen.”
When the minister was told that the teachers were apprehensive of a salary freeze, he said: “So, they are apprehending... I am still saying they can adopt any path, the state government is committed to resolving the situation legally and humanely.”
Asked if the dismissed and aggrieved teachers were being instigated, Basu said “they should steer clear of any instigation”.
“They must realise who is with them,” he said.
The education minister said government representatives were scheduled to meet a delegation of these teachers this week.
“In that meeting, the representatives of the school service commission and other departments will be present. The meeting is being held to listen to their grievances and work out a way. After that meeting,I will speak to the press and not run away,” the education minister said.
April salaries
Schools have uploaded the salary requisition for all their teaching and non-teaching staff, including the 25,773 who have been sacked, on the Banglar Shiksha portal on Wednesday evening, said an official of the education department.
The salary for the April will be credited by the end of the month.
The requisition was uploaded on a day the dismissed teaching and non-teaching staff staged protests at DI offices asking whether they will get their April salaries.