Teachers under the banner of AP Teachers Federation (APTF) organised a dharna protesting the State government’s ‘indifference’ towards their demands, at the Gandhi Statue on Thursday.
The teachers raised slogans seeking abolition of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and continuation of the old pension scheme, stopping the process of merger of primary schools in high schools, continuation of both Telugu and English medium in government, Panchayat Raj, municipal and gurukul schools and to ensure that ‘fitment’ should not be less than 27% in the 11th PRC.
APTF general secretary K. Bhanumurthy and its president Chennupati Manjula said that contrary to the repeated promise on abolition of CPS, the Chief Minister introduced a new scheme called Guaranteed Pension Scheme (GPS) and was trying to forcibly implement it against the wishes of the teachers. The merger of primary schools with high schools would force children to travel long distances, they said.
The APTF leaders said that the plan for a 100-day agitation was chalked out for the achievement of the demands as part of which dharnas were being held at the old Taluk headquarters from June 10 to 18. This would be followed with submission of representations to people’s representatives from June 20 to July 5, protests opposite Collectorates from July 11 to 27, post card campaign to the Chief Minister from July 28 to August 8 and picketing of Collectorates all over the State on August 11.
Relay hunger strikes would be conducted from August 16 to September 17 in Vijayawada. A maha dharna with thousands of teachers would be conducted on the last day on September 17, they said.
