By Sujatha Varma
Copyright thehindu
Thousands of teachers staged a massive protest in Vijayawada on Tuesday, demanding immediate action to address their longstanding grievances, including increased workload from non-teaching duties and financial strain due to delayed arrears.
The protest, dubbed ‘Poru Bata’, was organised by the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Organisations (FAPTO) at Dharna Chowk to draw the government’s attention to these issues. Leaders of FAPTO’s State committee announced that teachers would boycott all non-teaching activities, including the Vidya Shakti programme, a technology-driven remedial education initiative for struggling students. Vidya Shakti conducts after-school online sessions aimed at improving learning outcomes, reducing dropout rates, and enhancing the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in government schools.
FAPTO chairman L. Sai Srinivas said the TDP-led coalition government had failed to fulfil its earlier promise of relieving teachers from non-teaching duties. Citing serious financial difficulties due to pending arrears, he demanded the immediate release of dues, the announcement of the 12th Pay Revision Commission, and 30% Interim Relief. He also called for the implementation of unified service rules, release of retirement benefits and surrendered leave encashments, abolition of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), and bringing teachers recruited through the 2003 DSC under the Old Pension Scheme.
Federation secretary general S. Chiranjeevi urged the government to appoint kin of teachers who died while serving in mandal and zilla parishads on compassionate grounds, release posting orders for remaining candidates of the 1998 DSC batch, and regularise teachers recruited in 1998 and 2008 DSC batches. He also demanded the immediate release of four pending Dearness Allowances (DAs) and criticised alleged backdoor practices in teacher transfers. Additional demands included strengthening High School Plus by appointing more teachers and raising the retirement age to 62 for teachers in Gurukuls, residential schools, and societies across the State.
The protest saw participation from MLC B. Gopi Murthy, former MLCs K.S. Lakshmana Rao and K. Narasimha Reddy, AP JAC Chairman A. Vidyasagar, APNGOs State general secretary D.V. Ramana, and representatives of various teacher organisations.