Ahmedabad: Employees of grant-in-aid schools have threatened to launch a statewide agitation from Nov 25 if the state govt fails to address their pending demands. The committee representing the employees also demanded that appointments to the recruitment selection committee be cancelled.In a letter to the chief minister, the committee said the state education department had appointed three members to the committee responsible for recruiting academic staff in non-govt aided secondary and higher secondary schools through an order issued on Oct 23.Objecting to the inclusion of a representative of a school management association, the committee alleged that the appointments favoured individuals who had opted for voluntary retirement and gave preference to a particular organisation. It claimed that other recognised organisations with a significantly larger membership base had been denied representation.Calling the decision unfair, the committee said it had caused resentment and surprise in the education sector. It demanded the immediate cancellation of the appointments and warned that it would be forced to launch a Gandhian-style protest if the issue was not resolved.The committee also said that no satisfactory progress had been made on the longstanding demands of school managements, principals, teachers and administrative staff in aided schools, despite the new council of ministers completing a year in office.It alleged that assurances and directions issued during earlier cabinet-level discussions had not translated into concrete action. The committee warned that statewide protest programmes would begin from Nov 25, coinciding with the start of the new academic session, unless the govt took steps to resolve the pending issues.
About The Author
