NEW DELHI: Around 180 Punjab Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) teachers are protesting in Chandigarh’s Sector 39, demanding pay parity, regularisation and benefits equivalent to other regular government teachers.
The protesting teachers allege that despite being recruited for government schools, they continue to receive significantly lower salaries and benefits than other teachers recruited in the same batch. They are demanding that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP Government resolve the disparity and provide them the same service benefits as regular teachers.
One protesting teacher said that around 12,700 teachers are working in Punjab’s government schools in pre-primary, LKG, nursery and primary classes. The teacher alleged that before coming to power, the AAP government had promised to regularise temporary and contractual employees.
According to the protester, after the government came to power, their remuneration was increased by a limited amount, while the government maintained that they had effectively been regularised. The teachers, however, contend that the decision did not provide them the benefits and service conditions available to regular teachers.
The present agitation is also linked to a long-running dispute involving the recruitment of around 180 ETT teachers. The teachers had earlier alleged irregularities and administrative high-handedness during the recruitment process.
On August 22, more than 180 ETT teachers, accompanied by family members, staged a sit-in outside the residence of Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema in Chandigarh. The protesters demanded action against an Education Department clerk whom they accused of manipulating the recruitment process to favour certain candidates.
The protesters also alleged that they had been seeking justice for nearly a decade and that assurances of a meeting with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had not resulted in any concrete resolution.
One protester alleged, “We are demanding the suspension of the Education Department clerk who orchestrated such a massive scam to accommodate his own people. We are fighting for our rights.” The protesters further claimed that both the Education and Finance Ministers had cited a lack of authority to suspend the official while promising to facilitate a meeting with the Chief Minister.
The teachers’ recruitment history has further complicated the dispute. Another protester said they were initially recruited in 2016 but were later dismissed over alleged deficiencies in the recruitment process and were subsequently reinstated following a court order.
The issue has now acquired a political dimension, with opposition leaders attacking the Punjab government over its handling of the teachers’ agitation.
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal accused the AAP government of turning its back on teachers and alleged that those demanding regularisation and fair pay were being met with barricades and police action. He said protests had also taken place in Sangrur and Dhuri and called for the teachers’ demands to be resolved.
BJP leader Tarun Chugh also slammed the Punjab government, alleging that teachers seeking regularisation, fair pay and dignity were being met with police action instead of a resolution. He questioned the government’s handling of the issue and its claims regarding Punjab’s education system.
Visuals from the protests have further intensified the controversy, with teachers were removed by police and taken away in buses. Protesters have also alleged that during the action, turbans were dislodged and women’s dupattas were pulled.
The teachers maintain that their demands centre on regularisation, pay parity and equal service benefits, while the larger dispute also includes allegations concerning the recruitment process and the handling of their reinstatement.
