Report by Mazdoor Ekta Committee correspondent
On 8 June, guest teachers in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh — under the banner of the ‘Madhya Pradesh Guest Teachers’ Organization Committee’—submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister, to the District Collector, highlighting their long-pending demands. A large number of teachers gathered at the Collectorate to demand regularization, a 12-month tenure, and the provision of benefits on par with regular teachers.
Teachers state that they have been shouldering both academic and administrative responsibilities in government schools for years. Although they perform duties similar to regular teachers, they receive neither job security nor other benefits. They are relieved of their duties at the end of April each year, and the recruitment process begins anew for the next session; this cycle is a cause for financial and mental distress for them.
There are approximately 3,400 guest teachers working in Vidisha district alone, while the total number across the state stands at around 70,000. Currently, most guest teachers are protesting and have been protesting since April 29, even though the new academic session has already commenced. They are demanding a guaranteed 12-month tenure, benefits—including leave—on par with regular teachers, and an end to the practice of repeated termination. They have also expressed concern that many guest teachers have been serving for a long time and are ageing; without regularization, their future is jeopardized.
The protesting teachers stated that they have submitted memoranda regarding their demands to the government and administration on multiple occasions. Although the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced the regularization of guest teachers, no concrete orders have been issued till date. The teachers have demanded that guest teachers be reinstated in schools for the new academic session and that a swift decision be taken regarding their key demands.