Para teachers call off strike after CM’s assurance

Panaji: The Goa para teachers association called off their strike on Thursday after agreeing with the chief minister’s assurance of a salary hike and renewal of their contracts.
The government primary school teachers had been camping outside the chief minister’s residence at Altinho since Monday to demand regularizing of their services and in-service training.
A majority of the teachers were appointed in 2006 and a few in 2008 as part of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan programme to help primary school students who were weak in English.
These teachers were then asked to teach other subjects as well, in addition to managing clerical work and currently some of these teachers teach all subjects, in addition to setting and correcting test papers.
All the teachers are graduates and they include those who have completed post graduation. The teachers do not have a diploma of education certificate, which is the reason the protesting teachers are demanding for in-service training .
“If the government didn't think we were qualified enough why did they hire us, renew our contracts and give us increments over the years,” one of the teachers asks.
The teachers get paid for the months they teach (they are not paid during Diwali vacation and during April and May)and have to struggle to get their contracts renewed each year. At times, the contracts are renewed three to four months after the academic year has begun leaving them in a state of uncertainty, the teachers say.