BHUBANESWAR: With secondary school teachers on strike ahead of matric exams, scheduled to start from February 20, the state government is likely to convene a meeting with the Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association (OSSTA) on Monday to persuade them to withdraw their stir.
OSSTA general secretary Ranjan Das said though the government has planned a meeting with OSSTA, its timing has not yet been finalised. He, however, said OSSTA has decided to continue its agitation on Mahatma Gandhi Marg as long as its demands are not met.
While the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) Odisha under School and Mass Education department is busy making arrangements for the HSC exams, thousands of secondary school teachers have been protesting for the last 12 days seeking grant-in-aid for 194 eligible schools, service and pension rules for over 2,608 aided schools.
Remuneration as per 7th pay commission recommendation for secondary school teachers of 625 aided schools, government takeover of 608 fully aided schools, removal of anomalies in grade pay for aided schools, extension of retirement age of teachers to 62 years and pension benefits for retired teachers are among other demands.
“Our teachers are staging protest 24X7 for the last 12 days and will not succumb to pressure till their demands are met,” said an OSSTA member.