NEW DELHI: The All India Joint Action Committee of Teachers’ Organisations on Thursday organised a massive dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
For the first time, several national-level teachers’ unions from the school education sector came together on a single platform to press for resolution of long-pending issues affecting teachers across the country.
The protest was presided over by a presidium comprising C N Bharti, K Narasimha Reddy, Baswaraj Gurikar and C L Rose.
Several political leaders and parliamentarians extended solidarity, including MPs John Brittas, Selvaraj, V Sivadasan, Kumar Naik and Raja Ram Singh, who assured the gathering that the issues would be raised in Parliament.
Teacher leaders and education activists from various states also addressed the protest, highlighting concerns faced by educators nationwide.
Speakers described the formation of AIJACTO as a landmark step, underlining the unity achieved among diverse teachers’ organisations.
A major focus of the protest was the recent Supreme Court judgment on the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), which mandates in-service teachers with over five years of service remaining to qualify TET within two years or face termination.
Teachers with less than five years of service are exempt from termination but barred from promotions under the ruling. They demanded amendment of the RTE Act, filing of a review or curative petition, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.