Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Chaitar Vasava Tuesday warned of a revolt by the youths if the Gujarat government failed to cancel the state's contractual teacher recruitment programme. "If the government does not cancel the Gyan Sahayak programme, there will be a revolt from the youth," the Dediapada legislator told people who had gathered at the party's Yuva Adhikar Yatra that arrived to a grand welcome in Devgadh Baria of Dahod district Tuesday. Led by Vasava and party leader Yuvrajsinh Jadeja, the foot march, which began on October 13 from Dandi with a demand to cancel the Gyan Sahayak Yojana of the Gujarat government, is headed to Sabarmati via major tribal districts, has seen several youths joining the demand to recruit permanent teachers. Following the rousing welcome the march received at Devgadh Baria, both leaders addressed the youth urging them to "protest" against the Gyan Sahayak Yojana and demand its "immediate withdrawal". "Gyan Sahayak or contractual teachers recruited on a fixed pay is the most important issue that needs to be tackled. We are giving the government an ultimatum to scrap the scheme and recruit permanent teachers, whose posts are lying vacant across the state. We are retracing the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi across the stretch of the 400-kilometre-long Dandi march as it is going to be a sustained protest. If the government does not cancel the scheme, which is aimed at privatisation of schools, we will launch an aggressive protest," said Vasava, adding that the scheme was aimed at privatising schools. The yatra reached Dahod from Chhota Udepur district Monday night. "We started four days ago from Dandi. Many youths and teachers have joined us. (The system of) Temporary teachers is a mockery of the education system. On the one hand, the government wants India to be a Vishwaguru (world leader) and launches schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, etc. but on the other hand, there are 32,000 vacant posts of teachers in Gujarat," Vasava said. He added, "Not one permanent teacher has been appointed in schools since the past 10 years. Even here (Chhota Udepur), in the Eklavya model schools, there are no permanent teachers. Just constructing school buildings and infrastructure is not going to help the students." Vasava confirmed that the yatra will proceed to Godhra in Panchmahals and Aravalli districts before concluding in Sabarmati on October 20. "We also plan to visit Gandhinagar to submit our memorandum of protest."
