Teachers agitated over polls

SURAT, Aug 18: Agitating primary school teachers belonging to the Surat Shahar Manya Khangi Prathmik Shikshak Sangh SSMPKSS who have be...

SURAT, Aug 18: Agitating primary school teachers belonging to the Surat Shahar Manya Khangi Prathmik Shikshak Sangh SSMPKSS who have been agitating for several demands have now voiced their resentment at being deployed for election duties on September 5, which coincidentally happens to be Teachers8217; Day.

SSMPKSS President Deepak Patel, while criticising the decision to hold the polls on September 5, said it was unfortunate that the elections and Teacher8217;s Day coincided.

8220;While on one hand we stand for everything that is just and true, this Teachers8217; Day teachers will have to be mute spectators to goons and bogus voters stamping ballot papers,8221; he told Express Newsline. Patel and other Sangh office bearers also added that while the official machinery wanted them on poll duty, no provisions were being made for their safety.

Patel also alleged that the choice of teachers to be felicitated on Teachers8217; Day was being done by teachers themselves instead of people from non-academic fields.

132 teachers from the district, along with three others of the region who have recently been awarded for meritorious service by the state, will be felicitated by the Shikshan Din Ujawni Samiti SDUS on September 8.

Criticising the method being followed to choose the teachers to be felicitated, Patel said 8220;How does it seem when teachers felicitate teachers. It gives the impression that no one is interested in felicitating us and so we are doing it ourselves.8221; He added that it would be ideal if parents, leaders or the education department did the felicitating.

Refuting the charge, Madyamik Shikshak Sangh president Laxman Patel, who is also SDUS convenor and a teacher himself, said that the district collector is the chairman of the Samiti and the district education officer DEO the general secretary. 8220;Other members are prominent citizens, and it is absolutely wrong to state that teachers are felicitating teachers,8221; Laxman Patel said.

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He added that since elections were on September 5 and most teachers will be engaged in election duties, it was decided that the felicitation of school staff 8212; including retired principals, teachers, clerks and others 8212; will instead be held on September 8. Patel said that a meeting to finalise the names had been held last week, which was chaired by the collector and attended by the district education officer among others.

DEO Dr P N Dave also told Express Newsline that the award list had been chalked out by a body headed by the collector, and Deepak Patel8217;s allegation was untrue. When told that there was resentment by the Shikshak Sangh to be on election duty on September 5 Teachers Day, Dave replied 8212; 8220;Fixing election dates is not in my power. If I was allowed to fix election dates, I would definitely allow them some rest.8221;