The members of the Telangana Progressive Teachers' Federation (TPTF) held a protest outside the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) office in Hyderabad today, November 19, after repeated intimations regarding certain issues went unaddressed by the state government. However, the government is yet to respond.
What is the matter?
TPTF wants the government to address the problems concerning teachers employed with the residential tribal welfare schools. "The teachers of these schools are working under tremendous pressure. For every issue that crops up at the schools, it is the teachers who are blamed," said M Ravindar, State General Secretary, TPTF.
"If food poisoning incidents occur, the teachers are blamed, whereas there are specific committees, like the contractors and food committees who should be held responsible. The same goes for reported incidents of uncleanliness in schools. But these are not the teachers' responsibilities," he added.
Ravindar stated that the teachers were also under undue pressure from non-teaching ITDA officials who visited for school inspections, but "who do not have any experience in teaching". Added to this is the fact that teachers are being assigned all kinds of responsibilities related to hotels attached to these schools, he informed. "Teachers are being made to inhumanly work like slaves," the General Secretary added.
However, even after the pressure they are put through, Ravindar stated that neither they were being paid properly nor were teachers appointed regularly. "There have been no regular appointments. Only CRTs (contractual teachers) are being appointed and they too haven't received their salaries for the last two months," he added, and stated, "All this is affecting the quality of education in the state."
What led to protests?
The TPTF has prepared a list of 13 demands for the government to address. However, even after repeated representations, the body received no response from the authorities. The members waited for 45 days, but after receiving no reply, they sent a notice to the ITDA Commissioner, threatening protests, first at the school level. Next, at the ITDA level and finally, at the state level. "Even then, we did not get any response. Thus, helpless, we were forced to go into protest today," Ravindar said.
What do the teachers want?
Here is the list of their demands:
1. Release the promotion and transfer schedule of Tribal Welfare (TW) teachers
2. Sanction regular teachers' posts in converted Tribal Residential Schools and fill them via direct recruitment
3. Reappoint CRTs who have been terminated since 2018. Regularise them and pay them salaries for 12 months
4. Appoint English teachers for training in communication skills
5. Appoint PGHMs (Post Graduate Head Masters) in vacant posts of ATDOs (Assistant Tribal Development Officers)
6. Prepare common service rules for promotion to higher posts
7. Appoint HWO (Hostel Welfare Officer) by abolishing deputy wardens and separate hostels from schools
8. Issue orders for the implementation of the same administration/academic inspection in all the districts
9. Solve all the appeals of GO (Government Order) 317 victim teachers. Transfer spouse teachers as per their wish by creating supernumerary posts
10. Cancel all the deputations and appoint regular teachers transparently
11. Let the teachers be busy only with instruction activities rather than any other non-teaching duties
12. Appoint a minimum of two teachers or CRTs in each TWGPS (Tribal Welfare Girijana Primary School)
13. Appoint at least one junior assistant/record assistant for official transactions of schools with different departmental offices
