Jactto-Geo strike enters day 8 with no sign of resolution

Trainees teachers and concerned parents step up to keep schools running

Show must go on: A part-time teacher in class at the Vellore Corporation Ettiamman Middle School in Thottapalayam on Tuesday.

Ignoring the warnings by the State School Education Department, teachers and government staff on strike since January 22, continued their stir in Vellore town on Tuesday.

The intersection near the Collectorate was abuzz with teachers and striking workers, and policemen with their vans were ready to pack them off from the venue. However, no arrests were made and protesters were allowed to disperse after a demonstration that went on for a while.

Police harassment

A representative of The Joint Action Council of Tamil Nadu Teachers’ Organisations and Government Employees’ Organisations (Jactto-Geo) said teachers continued to participate in the indefinite strike across the State and the government was providing false data to weaken the protest.

“The police blocked entry of several employees into the protest venues. Many women teachers were ill-treated at the marriage halls, where they were detained even when they wanted to leave the venue,” he said. He pointed out that temporary teachers can’t be used to prepare students for the approaching examinations. The government would have to rely on teachers and employees from other State departments, he added.

Student protests

In a related incident, students from the Panchayat Union Elementary School in Ammur near Ranipet staged a protest in front of locked classrooms. However, revenue officials and police intervened and sent the students inside. One of the protesting teaching staff locked the school in Melpatti near Pernambut and parents staged a dharna.

Several schools are being run by trainee teachers in the district, parents in rural areas, who wish both parties to find an amicable solution to the issue.