ETT teachers issue a week’s notice to govt

Hundreds of ETT teachers from various parts of the state, working under Zila Parishads and Municipal Councils, today gathered at the Teachers’ Home here and served an ultimatum to the state government, saying that if it did not accept their demands within a week, they would chalk out an action plan, including gherao of the ministers and MLAs.


The protesting teachers, who met under the banner of the ETT Adhyapak Talmel Committee, resolved to decide their future course of action at a state-level meeting to be held on August 28 at Jalandhar.


The teachers are demanding transfer of schools working under Zila Parishads and Municipal Councils to the Education Department and a pay scale of Rs 10,300-34,800 plus Rs 4,200 as grade pay as recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission.


They demanded that the process of shifting 6,200 ETT teachers from the Zila Parishad and Municipal Council schools to the Education Department be expedited.


Jagsir Sahota, a member of the committee, said they had been compelled to take the action as state president of the ETT Adhyapak Union, Punjab, Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, was taking part in the SGPC election. He said Sidhu should resign from the post of the state president on moral grounds.
Read More:http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110823/punjab.htm#13

Jobless teachers want TET condition deferred

The Unemployed B.Ed Teachers’ Front, Punjab, today asked the state government not to declare the results of teacher eligibility test (TET) in the larger interests of the unemployed teachers.

The government has also been asked to defer its decision on the TET condition for the recruitment of teachers at least for two years, as it has decided to implement the Right to Education Act fully in 2013 in the state.


Stating this, spokesman of the Front Harjit Jeeda said that after the TET was conducted in the state on July 3, there was great disappointment among the unemployed teachers, including music and art and craft teachers, as they had to answer the questions from science and mathematics subjects in the test.
Jeeda also asked the government not to implement the TET condition on the unemployed teachers at the time of recruitment in near future. He said the TET was not a parameter to judge the ability of unemployed teachers. He said in case five per cent unemployed teachers cleared the test then what would be the fate of the remaining teachers.


Jeeda announced that they were now planning to launch a mass movement to compel the government to scrap the TET. He said they would now go door to door and convince unemployed teachers about their agitation plan. After that, district-level and state-level conferences would be held.


Regarding their recent agitation against the TET, he said the Front had not given any call for the boycott of the test, which is why the majority of unemployed teachers appeared in it. But later, the same unemployed teachers were saying that the Front’s stand with regard to scrapping of the TET was right, he added.


He said their agitation would continue even during and after the ensuing Assembly elections if the government did not scrap the TET.

The Unemployed B.Ed Teachers’ Front, Punjab, has asked the state government to defer its decision on the TET condition for the recruitment of teachers at least for two years, as it has decided to implement the Right to Education Act fully in 2013 in the state.
SRC.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110708/bathinda.htm#3

Unemployed teachers take to the streets, 250 held (Bathinda )

Seek scrapping of teacher eligibility test

More than 250 unemployed teachers were arrested by the police in Bathinda district today. A majority of them were arrested in the city while the rest were held at different places when they were on their way to Bathinda to take part in today's state-level "Chakka Jam" (blockade of road) in protest against the holding of Teacher Eligibility Test (TET). The protesting teachers were demanding that the TET be scrapped.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Bathinda, Sukhchain Singh Gill said the police had arrested around 250 protesters as a preventive measure to maintain law and order as the agitators had been blocking the roads.

He said these protesters had been arrested under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC.

In view of the “Chakka Jam” agitation today by five unemployed teacher (B.Ed, ETT, PTI, D.P. Ed., Art and Craft) organisations, the district police converted the city into a virtual fortress by deploying a large number of personnel, including women constables, in various parts of the city.

Police personnel were deployed in strength at the Teachers’ Home here to prevent the unemployed teachers from gathering there. However, around 40 teachers reached the Teachers' Home. They were arrested by the police and taken to the police station in vehicles.

Later, at about 2.15 pm, about 150 unemployed teachers converged at Teenkoni chowk and blocked the road there. However, the police, led by DSP Baljit Singh, reached there after some minutes and cleared the road by taking the protesters in custody.

They were taken to the police station in two tempos and a Scorpio. They raised slogans against the government and demanded scrapping of the TET.

After a few minutes, another group of 50 protesters blocked the Bathinda-Goniana road near the Sirhind canal for some time.

The police, led by DSP Jaswinder Singh, also took the protesters in custody there and got the road cleared. They were taken to an undisclosed site in the police vehicle.

State spokesman of the Berojgar B. Ed. Adhyapak Front, Punjab, Harjit Jeeda claimed that the police had arrested more than 500 unemployed teachers in Bathinda district today.

He said besides arresting teachers, the police had also raided their houses last night and taken several of their leaders and activists in custody.

Jeeda said their activists had also blocked the road near the railway level crossing at Rampura Phul.

He said their agitation was successful as they had succeeded in conveying their message to the people and the government.

src.http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20110629/bathinda.htm#1