NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has given eight guarantees for comprehensive education reforms in Punjab. “These guarantees will be fulfilled on a priority basis as soon as the AAP government is formed in 2022,” he said.
Recognizing the importance of education and teachers, Kejriwal gave the first guarantee to create a ‘good environment for education in Punjab. In the second guarantee, he promised to secure all types of raw and contract teachers. He said that most of the teachers in Punjab had been working for only Rs10,000 per month for the last 18 years, which was an injustice.
Appealing to Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Kejriwal said that the two demands of the teachers protesting on the tanks — to fill the vacancies and make the raw teachers permanent should be immediately accepted. “If the Channi government doesn’t do so, then during my next visit to Punjab, I will go to the teachers’ dharna and the demands of the teachers will be met on the formation of the AAP government,” he said.
To save the teachers of Punjab from the hassle of transfers, he gave the third guarantee to change the ‘Teacher Transfer’ policy. He said that Punjab was forcing a teacher to teach in two schools located at a distance of 200 kilometers. “The policy of transfer of teachers in Punjab will be changed on the lines of Delhi. With full transparency, the policy of teachers based on their own choice and posting near home will be implemented,” he said.
Through the fourth guarantee, Kejriwal said that teachers would not be burdened with non-teaching work. Through the fifth guarantee, he announced to fill all the vacant posts of the teachers. With the sixth guarantee, he promised to send teachers abroad for training. “Teachers of Delhi have been trained in modern teaching methods in Canada, USA and England, along with the management institutes of the country. Similar training will be imparted to the teachers of Punjab,” he said. Seventh guarantee was about giving timely promotion to teachers. The eighth guarantee was to provide a cashless medical facility to all teachers and their families.