VIJAYAWADA: AP Model Schools Joint Action Committee staged a protest here on Thursday demanding the State government to pay their pending salaries and PRC arrears. Around 200 teachers from across the State took part in the protest. A few of them are on an indefinite hunger strike. There are 163 model schools where 2,100 teachers are working on a regular basis.
All the teachers are highly qualified and most of them have dual degrees like PG and B.Ed. They offer quality education to students from class 6 to Intermediate in English medium. However, the government has not paid their wages for the last three months. The protesters said that the government had delayed their wages earlier also.
V Padmaja, teacher at Kothavalasa Model High School in Vizianagaram district, said, “It is quite hard to lead a family without getting the basic salary. In fact, we are giving outstanding results through our schools in both SSC and Intermediate examinations. Over 96 per cent of the students from model schools have passed SSC examination and hundreds of students have secured 10/10 GPA. Atleast now, the government should come forward and solve our issues.”
The prime demands of the AP Model Schools JAC are adoption of model schools by the State government and disbursal of the salaries through direct treasury like the other government schools. The teachers further demanded the State government to release the PRC arrears, grant a pension scheme and health cards to all model school teachers along with merging model schools into State government school systems.
AP Model Schools JAC convener P Mohan Reddy said, “We have raised our demands before Education department officials but none of them have responded to our pleas. If the government does not respond to our protest, we will boycott all classes and intensify our agitation.”
Main demands
Release pending salaries
Merge Model schools into State govt school system
Release PRC arrears
Grant a pension scheme and health cards to all model school teachers
163 model schools across the State
2100 teachers working in model schools