JACTTO-GEO stir to intensify, but 95 per cent teachers back to work

Bowing to the pressure exerted by the State government, more than 90 per cent of the striking teachers resumed their duties across the State on Tuesday.

The Director of School Education, V C Rameswara Murugan, said around 97 per cent of teachers, who had participated in the protest for the last nine days, joined duty on Tuesday.

According to him, the revision test for various classes will be held as per schedule. Practical classes especially for Class 11 and 12 students will also commence as per the timetable.

Thiruvalar Selvi, Chief Educational Officer, Chennai region, said the city and its suburbs witnessed almost 100 per cent attendance of teachers. “Only four teachers in Chennai did not report for duty. Rest of them are back to their work”, she claimed.

Meanwhile, more than 600 government teachers were suspended since they were taken into police custody after the protest.

A senior official from the School Education Department said the authorities have planned to get assurance letters from the teachers that they would not resort to any protest in the future, especially during the examination time.

The Directorate of School Education on Monday warned the striking teachers that their post will be deemed vacant and temporary staff appointed in their place if they failed to report for work on Tuesday.

“We have the extended the deadline for the protesting teachers to return to work till Wednesday,” he added.

Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan has said disciplinary action will be taken against government staff who boycott work today.

In an official statement issued on Tuesday, she said: “It has come to the notice of the government that certain associations of the State government employees have proposed to observe a one-day token strike on Wednesday for certain demands.”

“If any of the government staff do not attend office, consequent of their participation in the proposed strike, disciplinary action will have to be taken against them. The period of absence has to be considered as unauthorised and such staff are not entitled to the pay and allowance,” she said, in a direction issued to the Secretaries of all departments.

The six government-recognised associations had announced a one-day strike on Wednesday. They also warned that a further course of action would be taken on Thursday if the government does not come for talks.

Agitated over police interrogating a school headmistress through the night, nearly 30 teachers, most of whom were women, besieged the police station in Ranipet on Tuesday. Sources said the headmaster of the Thalangai Elementary School, Saravanan, and his wife Rajini, who is the head of the elementary school in Melpadi, were both office-bearers of JACTTO-GEO. The Sholinghur Block Education Officer (BEO) complained to the Ranipet All Women Police that the couple were preventing teachers from joining duty, following which the cops went to their residence on Monday night. In the absence of Saravanan, police picked up Rajini and took her to the station.

Madurai Chief Educational Officer M K C Subashini said around 95 percent of teachers of high and higher secondary schools reported to work on Tuesday, while around 75 percent elementary school teachers followed suit. Among the total working strength of 12,280 employees in the Department of Education, 11,756 got back to work. As many as 5,357 employees were involved in the strike. As many as 10 teachers in Thoothukudi and 9 in Tirunelveli are facing suspension after their arrest. In Kanniyakumari district, around 86 per cent of the staff returned and six teachers have been suspended, sources said.

Ramanathapuram Collector K Veera Raghava Rao said 61.52 per cent of the total employees have returned to work and the rest are expected to get back on Wednesday. “Of the total 7,300 employees, 4, 279 returned to work till Tuesday evening. Eight teachers, who got arrested for taking part in the protests, were placed under suspension,” the Collector said. In Dindigul district, except for 15 teachers, who remained absent, almost 99 per cent of the staff returned to work. So far, 36 teachers, who were arrested and remanded, have been suspended, sources said. As much as 97 per cent of staff turned up for work in Theni district.