Primary school teachers stage protest

They are seeking, among others, pre-primary classes in govt. schools

Primary school teachers staged a one-day protest in front of the offices of the Block Education Officers (BEOs) in Hubballi and Dharwad on Tuesday.

The protest was carried out under the aegis of the Karnataka State Primary School Teachers Association (KSPSTA) in response to a call given for a State-wide protest to press for their demands.

The protesters urged the State government to meet their long-pending demands, including beginning of pre-primary education in government schools and rectification of wage disparity in the Seventh Pay Commission.

The teachers said that the main reason for low enrolment in government schools was lack of pre-primary classes.

They urged the government to start pre-primary classes in government schools and for the purpose, set up the Elementary Education Board and the Primary Education Board so that it would facilitate beginning of kindergarten classes in government schools.

They also demanded the implementation of the recommendations of Seventh Pay Commission in toto and cancellation of the new pension scheme for school teachers as it had affected many.

New Delhi meeting

The protesting teachers said that they would stage an agitation at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in the next phase.

The national executive committee of the association, which would meet on August 5 in New Delhi, would take a final decision on it.