Thousands of Assam teachers protest seeking regularisation

Guwahati: Thousands of teachers working under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Assam on Saturday staged a massive protest against the BJP-led government’s apathy in fulfilling their long standing demands including that of regularizing their services.
There are over 41,000 teachers in Assam imparting elementary education in thousands of lower primary schools across the state. These teachers, who had qualified the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET), have joined schools but their services are yet to be regularized.
As thousands of teachers from different districts gathered at the Veterinary College ground at Khanapara on Saturday morning, the security forces locked the gate from outside restricting the movement of the teachers who were supposed to rally to Dispur.
The Assam government lined up hundreds of armed security personnel in and around the Khanapara area of Guwahati during the protest. The police had also kept on standby the Bajra — the riot control vehicle fitted with water cannons to be used in case of an emergency.
“The regularization of our services has been a long standing demand of the TET qualified teachers. The BJP had also mentioned in its poll manifesto ahead of the 2016 Assembly polls that the services of the TET qualified teachers will be regularized but is now turning its back on the demands,” said Trailokya Deka, Working President of the Sodou Asom TET UIttirna Sikshak Samaj. (IANS)