Secondary schools’ stir today

However, the announcement of the protest is likely to cause some confusion as many schools have primary and secondary classes. The protest will be restricted only to secondary schools, that receive government grants.

According to the Mandal, while the government on one hand had banned recruitment to schools and it had issued a general resolution on the other hand that would render many a teacher jobless.

Non-appointment of teachers meant the managements had to appoint teachers on ad hoc basis and pay their salaries from their own pockets. The government from time to time sanctioned new classes — when the number of students went up or to accommodate excess students — but did not allow managements to recruit teachers to engage those classes, SSSSM pointed out.

Incidentally, the managements are silent on support to teachers who are agitating against the GR issued on May 18. While they have taken note of the GR that will make at least 11,000 teachers in Gujarat, and about 600 in Surat district, jobless, they have not supported the teachers’ proposed agitation on the issue.

The teachers on the other hand have extended their support to the day’s strike called by SSSSM on Monday. The management representatives will call on the district collector and submit a memorandum at the end of their day’s protest.

Meanwhile, teachers will strike work in protest against the GR from July 26. According to Rajesh Desai, a member of Surat Shahar Madhyamik Shikshan Sankalan Samiti, before striking work the teachers will register their protest in various ways.

Teachers, principals and clerical staff of secondary and higher secondary schools will wear black badges from July 12 to July 17. This will be followed by a mass casual leave on July 19, the day on which they will take out a procession from the Surat Railway Station. From July 20 to July 24, the teachers will resort to “chalk down” and “pen down” strike. They will go to classrooms but will not teach.

A rally of teachers from all parts of Gujarat will be taken out in Ahmedabad on July 25 which will culminate into a public meeting at Paldi Hall. The indefinite strike from July 26 will begin even if the government fails to withdraw the GR.