A battle of right continues by Shiksha Mitra from summer to winter

Kshitiz Kant;Lucknow

A woman about 41, whenever I visit eco-garden Lucknow for my field news collection purpose, sits with her supporters to stage Dharna.  I have visited the place 4 to 6 times since May this year and have found her presence there.

Eco-garden was built up during the tenure of BSP government and is fully stoned built. The seasons make acute effect here on people. This week on Saturday afternoon when I asked Uma Devi who were teaching in government primary school as Shiksha Mitra in Kanpur Nagar, why she is there?

She told me, "We are leading the Shiksha Mitra in whole the state, our honorarium which was fixed Rs 40000 per month in the regime of previous government now has been slashed to Rs 10000 per month. Our demand is the honorarium to be maintained as earlier it was.  For this demand we had begun my Dharna in the month of May this year. It began after a mass protest against the Government's decision to slash ours perks. We have gone to demonstrate before the State Assembly. We have had our heads tonsured. We have faced all the tyrants since the May 18th in the scorching heat blow; now we are facing the winter gale too in the month of December."

We all are the followers of Mahatma Gandhi and shall face every difficulties whatever the government's action be.

It is noticeable that the High Court Allahabad had cancelled 1lakh 72 thousand Shiksha Mitra’s appointments. The apex court contended in its verdict that these candidates did not qualify the required eligibility.

The learned counsel for the aggrieved had said that “their recruitment were illegal.” The bench had heard sides of the respondent and the plaintiff’s argument to maintain the placement of Shiksha Mitra in government’s primary schools.

The High Court had said in its verdict that these candidates had not passed the TET, so their appointments could not be done on posts of Assitant Teachers; while the counsels for the Shiksha Mitr told to the court that these candidates were adjusted after the ruling of the government. The appointments had been done after a big shortage of teachers in primary schools.

The case was filed in the Supreme Court and the Apex court upheld the decision of high court Allahabad.

It is noticeable that the Shiksha Mitr’s intense agitation has been carried out next day of the Supreme Court’s verdict came.

Thousands of Shiksha Mitr had demonstrated in front of  the office of Sarvshiksha Abhiyan in Allahabad and protested and shouted slogans against the Modi government in the centre and Yogi’s government in UP. The demonstrators were demanding SLP in Supreme Court for their adjustment.

The demonstration took statewide intense protest and they were demanding from the government to bring an ordinance for adjustment so that their services in different primary school could be saved.

The condition of resolving this problem is in the government’s hand; no affirmative response or message has been so far sent from the government; the place where all Dharnas are performed by the people of state is also the witness of this lady. She is optimistic and waiting that her Satyagrah for the Shiksha Mitr of the state shall forced the state highness to a call from the government someday.