Teacher's place is in schools, not on dharnas and tanks: Bhagwant Mann

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday visited the dharna of the raw teachers in front of the Punjab School Education Board in Mohali and the unemployed PTI teachers at the overhead water tank in Sohana and listened to their demands seriously. Kejriwal assured the protesting teachers that with the formation of the AAP government in Punjab, the raw teachers would be regularised, so that an atmosphere of good education could be created in the state. Arvind Kejriwal arrived in Mohali on Saturday morning from Delhi to meet the protesting teachers, especially in support of these raw and unemployed teachers.

He was accompanied by AAP Punjab president and Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann, Punjab affairs in-charge and MLA from Delhi Jarnail Singh, Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema and MLAs Principal Budhram, Amarjit Singh Sandoa and Jai Singh Rodi. Arriving in Mohali, Arvind Kejriwal met the raw teachers who had been on dharna for 165 days in front of the Punjab School Education Board and listened to their problems. Addressing the teachers, Arvind Kejriwal said, “The Channi government has put up hoardings at various places for regularizing 36,000 raw employees, but neither the teachers nor hundreds and thousands of raw and outsourced employees of sanitation and other departments were regularized.” Lashing out at Chief Minister Channi, Arvind Kejriwal said that whatever was announced should also be implemented.

He said that with the provision of best education facilities in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has changed the atmosphere of education. That is why the credit for good education and best results goes to the teachers. For this, the teachers were given training from abroad and non-academic work from the teachers was completely barred along with paying good salaries. Due to this the teachers of Delhi changed the education system of government schools and today the education system of Delhi is being appreciated all over the world, he said.

The AAP supremo further said that like Delhi, Punjab's education system would be reformed and vacancies would be filled on a large scale on merit basis and new posts of teachers would be created as per the need; so that the unemployed who are struggling for jobs despite having qualifications can get employment. Kejriwal promised the protesters that with the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, the raw teachers would be regularized immediately and 906 guest faculty professors/teachers of government colleges who were being expelled after 15-20 years of service; their services will also be continued.

On this occasion a delegation consisting of guest faculty professors had stopped Kejriwal and handed over their memorandum. They were raising slogans against the Congress’ Channi government at the protest site. Kejriwal said that the teachers should be in the classroom and not on dharnas and tanks. He said that raw teachers serving in government schools for 10-20 years were being paid only Rs 6,000 per month in Punjab, which was a shame for the Punjab government and the society as a whole.

He appealed to all the raw and permanent teachers of Punjab and the unemployed teachers and other unemployed youth along with the people of Punjab sitting on dharnas-protests to give a chance to the Aam Aadmi Party; as the Congress, BJP and the Badals have been repeatedly tested. Kejriwal said that with the formation of the Aam Aadmi Party government in 2022, revolutionary reforms would be carried out in the government schools and education system of Punjab as shown in Delhi.

The AAP national convener then met the unemployed PTI teachers who had been on dharna atop an overhead water tank near Sohana for 47 days and appealed to the protesters to get down from the tank. Kejriwal appealed to a newly-married unemployed teacher along with teachers who had been on the tank for 47 days, to come down and not to risk their lives for the present deaf government. He assured them that their problems would be solved with the formation of the AAP government.

Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Channi government of Punjab to immediately release the merit list of the recruitment process as per the demand of the unemployed PTI teachers and also to issue a waiting list with each merit list. Referring to the letter written by Education Minister Pargat Singh to the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh regarding the demands of these protesting teachers, Arvind Kejriwal asked why Pargat Singh does not accede to the demands of the teachers now.

Why does he not release the merit list of the PTI teachers? Speaking on the occasion, AAP Punjab president and Member of Parliament Bhagwant Mann said, “The teacher is the builder of the nation and teacher's place is in the school; but the Punjab government has harassed the teachers on strike and the teachers are being forced to hold dharnas on offices, tanks and roads instead of the school.” He said that even after 18 years of teaching as raw teachers, the Akali Dal and the Congress government were not regularizing the teachers; what could be more shameful. Mann questioned that when these teachers had secured (permanent) degrees, secured (permanent) education, then why the government was giving raw (temporary) jobs to them.