Odisha's elementary school teachers to go on mass leave from today, September 13. Here's why

Elementary school teachers in Odisha, who are on a protest, seeking fulfillment of their demands, which include job regularisation, pay hike and provision of pension, have threatened to intensify their protest and go on mass leave across the state from today, Wednesday, September 13. All the primary and upper primary-level teachers' associations are protesting under the umbrella organisation called  All Utkal Primary Teachers' Federation (AUPTF).

AUPFT stated that all its members have been asked to go on mass leave and stage protests in front of BEO (Block Education Office) offices across 314 blocks of the state from Wednesday onwards. Meanwhile, the leaders of three teachers' organisations associated with AUPTF will stage a protest in the capital city of Bhubaneswar, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

Previously, on September 8, teaching was paralysed at about 10,000 schools after teachers in more than 190 blocks went on mass leave in pursuit of their demands. This time the Federation has decided to involve teachers of all 56,000 schools across the state. 

The state government has formed a five-member sub-committee to review the demands of the protesting teachers and give its report to the inter-ministerial committee after reviewing the demands by September 18. Accordingly, the government has urged the teachers to cooperate and withdraw their protest. However, the federation said that their protest would continue as long as their demands were not met.