School Teachers’ Federation of India’s (STFI) national general secretary C.N. Bharati on Tuesday slammed the BJP government at the Centre for “selling the assets belonging to the public sector units (PSUs), which will only further increase private wealth and exacerbate inequalities.”
Addressing the media here, ahead of the three-day 8th triennial conference scheduled to get under way in Vijayawada from May 20, Mr. Bharati deplored the Centre for “skirting key issues like unemployment and inflation, and whipping up communal sentiments.” He also condemned the “efforts to create a controversy around the historic Taj Mahal by communal forces.”
The STFI leader informed that the meeting would deliberate upon key issues. On the first day, former judge K. Chandru would speak on ‘Social Justice’; All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) national general secretary Mariam Dhawale would dwell on the issue of women protection; Surjit Majumdar from Jawaharlal Nehru University would speak on ‘Economic Reforms - Privatisation’; and civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad would speak on ‘Communalism’.
Federation’s national president Abhijeet Mukherjee demanded that the National Education Policy-2020 be scrapped, as “it has been brought in the most undemocratic way.” Moreover, he said, it did not address the “education for all” concept.
‘Repeal CPS’
Members of the various teacher unions, under the banner of the Federation of Andhra Pradesh Teachers’ Associations (FAPTO), meanwhile, staged demonstrations in front of the spot valuation centres demanding immediate repeal of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and reinstatement of the old pension system, allow the primary schools to exist, and amend discrepancies in the G.O.s relating to the 11th Pay Revision Commission.
