After the Odisha State Government assured that their positions will be made permanent, ad hoc high school teachers have called off their agitation, reports The New Indian Express.
In accordance with the decision of the School and Mass Education (SME) Department, the high school teachers hired on contract basis will be regularised on the basis of Odisha Group B, C, and D Posts (Repeal and Special Provisions) Rules, 2022. Further, the regularisation for teachers employed as per the Odisha Group B Posts (Contractual Appointment) Rules, 2013, has also been considered, according to sources from the department.
In total, over 18,000 ad hoc teachers are said to benefit from the move, these sources say. The government has also taken steps to ensure that this move wouldn't affect the seniority of contractual teachers prior to the 2013 rules.
The nitty-gritty
The regular service period of the teachers who have been appointed prior to the 2013 rules, along with those who have also completed six years of contractual service prior to the notification, will be counted accordingly on the completion of six years of their contractual service. Their seniority will also be maintained as per the position in the merit list in the year of recruitment. Besides, these teachers will also be entitled to notional pay not less than that of teachers recruited as per the Odisha Group-B Posts (Contractual Appointment) Rules, 2023.
This move was welcomed by the teachers, who termed this decision as "significant" and withdrew their agitation. These teachers had been protesting in demand for job regularisation at Mahatma Gandhi Marg, Bhubaneswar for the last two weeks.
"The move is historic and doesn't affect the seniority of the teachers appointed prior to the 2013 contractual appointment rules," said Prabhakar Jaysingh, leader of the Odisha Teachers' Federation.
