Nagpur primary teachers and cluster heads begin indefinite relay hunger strike over pending demands

Teachers' organisations in Nagpur district have launched an agitation over the pending demands of primary teachers and cluster heads (kendrapramukh). An indefinite relay hunger strike began on Monday, September 28, to press for the service-related and administrative demands.

The organisations allege that several issues have been stuck for the past two years and that the administration has only given assurances. No concrete decision has so far been taken on the service-related and administrative issues of primary teachers and cluster heads.

The coordination committee claims that despite repeated assurances, not a single matter has been resolved in the past two years. The organisations say the Zilla Parishad administration is not paying attention to teachers' problems.

The committee has also said that with issues remaining pending for so long, teachers' morale is falling, and this is also affecting the quality of students' education.

Office-bearers including Dhanraj Bode, Pravin Phalke and Sameer Sudame, led by Liladhar Thakre, and hundreds of teachers took part in the agitation. A delegation met District Collector Kumar Ashirwad in the presence of MP Shyamkumar Barve and discussed the teachers' issues.

Concern is also being expressed over education in the state. It is said that about one lakh Marathi schools have shut down over the past few years, that education has become costlier and that it has been privatised on a large scale, putting it out of the reach of the poor.

Privatisation ends the government's responsibility to employ teachers permanently, which has created many difficulties for teachers. Experts are said to hold that if this continues, the country will have to pay a heavy price.