Petition signed by 1,43,198 people submitted to CM
STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: In support of the demand for creation of posts of headmaster in lower primary (LP) schools across the State, the Assam State Primary Teachers’ Association (ASPTA) today submitted a petition signed by 1,43,198 people to the Chief Minister at Janata Bhavan.
The ASPTA had carried out a signature campaign across the State from June 6 to June 15 to seek people’s opinion on whether posts of headmaster should be created in LP schools or not. During this campaign, 1,43,198 signatures were collected. A delegation of the ASPTA and other organizations who support the demand for creation of headmasters’ posts –like the All Assam TET Qualified Teachers’ Association, All Assam State Pool Teachers’ Association and the Nikhil Bodo Prathamik Sikshak Santha– submitted the petition at Janata Bhavan.
ASPTA president Akhil Chandra Nath and secretary general Ratul Chandra Goswami said, “After several discussions held at the district and state levels, it was resolved that posts of headmaster must be created in LP schools across the State. Discussions are going on at the block level and the resolutions adopted in these discussions will also be submitted to the government.
“We have submitted the petition signed by 1,43,198 people. We will now wait for 15 days. If the government does not take steps for creation of posts of headmaster within these 15 days, on July 19, all the teachers who are discharging additional duty of headmaster in their respective schools, will refuse to accept the Rs 300 allowance that they are getting every month for their additional duty.”
Both said that without creation of posts of headmaster, the Education Department had made some teachers perform the additional duty of headmaster in their respective schools, and for this these teachers were being paid a monthly allowance of Rs 300. “An allowance of only Rs 300 for teachers discharging the additional responsibilities of headmaster, demeans the dignified and respectable post of headmaster. These teachers will submit letters to the Education Department on July 19, refusing to accept the allowance of Rs 300. But for the sake of the students, teachers will continue to perform their other responsibilities,” they said.
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