Return to work before Jan 25, HC tells teachers
Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com
Chennai:24.01.2019
Cracking the whip on striking government school teachers, Madras high court has directed them resume work not later than January 25, considering the future of students.
The government school teachers are on strike, along with other government employees under the banner JACTO-GEO, pressing a charter of demands.
Because of the strike several thousand primary and middle schools across the state have remained locked for two days now.
On Wednesday, a division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice P Rajamanickam issued the interim direction to the teachers on a strike, when a PIL filed by a Class XII student seeking to stall the strike came up for hearing.
He cited the approaching board examinations, and wanted the court to ensure that classes and revision examinations were conducted as per schedule.
When the plea came up for hearing, advocate-general Vijay Narayan submitted that besides elementary school teachers about 39.7% of other teachers had not reported to work. “We are trying to manage the situation with temporary teachers and strong action would be taken against the striking teachers,” he said.
Opposing the plea, advocate NGR Prasad submitted that the teachers and other government employees were pressing their demands for over a year now. Noting that the government failed to consider their demands despite assurances made on the floor of the state assembly, he said: "Strike is a democratic right, resorting to strike is not violence.”
Petitioner's counsel Naveen Kumar Murthi, however, submitted that students had already suffered a lot due to competitive examinations like NEET, and if the strike was allowed it would further worsen the academic situation in the state.
EMPTY DESKS
Sureshkumar.K@timesgroup.com
Chennai:24.01.2019
Cracking the whip on striking government school teachers, Madras high court has directed them resume work not later than January 25, considering the future of students.
The government school teachers are on strike, along with other government employees under the banner JACTO-GEO, pressing a charter of demands.
Because of the strike several thousand primary and middle schools across the state have remained locked for two days now.
On Wednesday, a division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice P Rajamanickam issued the interim direction to the teachers on a strike, when a PIL filed by a Class XII student seeking to stall the strike came up for hearing.
He cited the approaching board examinations, and wanted the court to ensure that classes and revision examinations were conducted as per schedule.
When the plea came up for hearing, advocate-general Vijay Narayan submitted that besides elementary school teachers about 39.7% of other teachers had not reported to work. “We are trying to manage the situation with temporary teachers and strong action would be taken against the striking teachers,” he said.
Opposing the plea, advocate NGR Prasad submitted that the teachers and other government employees were pressing their demands for over a year now. Noting that the government failed to consider their demands despite assurances made on the floor of the state assembly, he said: "Strike is a democratic right, resorting to strike is not violence.”
Petitioner's counsel Naveen Kumar Murthi, however, submitted that students had already suffered a lot due to competitive examinations like NEET, and if the strike was allowed it would further worsen the academic situation in the state.
EMPTY DESKS
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