Education
43-Day Hunger Strike Ends as Govt Backs Teachers’ Demands
Primary school teachers in Himachal Pradesh have ended their 43-day-long hunger strike following a consensus reached with the state’s Education Minister, Rohit Thakur, on Saturday. The teachers had been protesting against the state cabinet’s March 28 decision to restructure the education system by merging the Directorate of Elementary Education with the Directorate of School Education.
Under the proposed restructuring, a new Directorate of School Education was to oversee education from pre-nursery to Class 12, while the Directorate of Higher Education would handle colleges. However, primary teachers raised concerns that this move would dilute their representation, affect service matters, and compromise promotional opportunities.
In the meeting, Minister Thakur assured the teachers that the existing directorate structures for primary and higher education would remain intact. Importantly, a committee will be formed to assess the restructuring, and no changes will be implemented without its recommendations. The committee will also include representatives from the Primary Teachers’ Association, ensuring that teachers have a direct voice in shaping future decisions.
Additionally, Thakur confirmed that promotions of primary teachers would not be hindered and that the government would reconsider the suspension of 10 teachers who were earlier penalised for participating in the protest.
Jagdish Sharma, President of the Primary Teachers’ Association, confirmed that the strike had officially ended and expressed optimism about a collaborative resolution.
