Pune : Maharashtra Teachers Threaten Exam Boycott Over Unmet Demands

Sanjay Shinde, President of the Maharashtra State Junior College Teachers Federation, has issued a stern warning to State School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar regarding the unresolved grievances of junior college educators. In a letter addressed to Kesarkar, Shinde has cautioned that if the long-standing concerns of the teachers are not promptly addressed, they may resort to boycotting the evaluation of Class 12 exam papers.

Last year, the teachers had staged a boycott of their duties, which was eventually called off after they received written assurances from the authorities. However, despite these assurances, their demands remain unmet. Only 283 new posts were added, falling significantly short of the requested 1,298. Furthermore, numerous teachers are still awaiting their salaries despite being on the payroll. Other unresolved issues include equitable pay scales for IT teachers, in-service progression schemes, and adherence to class size norms.

Santosh Fasge, the Secretary General of the federation, has indicated that discussions regarding the remaining demands were slated to occur after the summer session. However, as of now, these matters remain unaddressed. Despite repeated representations, the authorities have failed to fulfill their commitments, leaving the teachers with little recourse but to protest. Kishore Mhatre, a teacher and member of the federation, confirmed that during an executive meeting, dissatisfaction among teachers prompted the decision to boycott paper evaluation.

Mhatre stressed the urgency of the situation, asserting that “the state government must engage in discussions with union office-bearers to resolve these issues and ensure a smooth evaluation process.” The teachers’ union insists that the government take immediate action to address their pending demands in order to prevent disruptions in the exam paper evaluation process.

Joyville