Hyderabad: Gurukul teachers hold Maha Dharna

According to teachers, over 700 welfare residential educational institutions do not have permanent buildings, causing a lot of inconvenience to students and teachers.

Hyderabad: Teachers of the five welfare residential educational institutions societies, who are generally seen wielding chalk in the classrooms, on Saturday staged a Maha Dharna at Dharna Chowk. Holding placards and raising slogans, the teachers demanded change in their work timings besides enhancing mess charges for students among other unresolved issues.

The protest was organised by teachers under the auspices of TS UTF and Gurukula Sanghala Joint Action Committee (JAC) after the Congress government failed to address their pending 25 pleas including better work timings and enhancement of the mess charges.

According to teachers, over 700 welfare residential educational institutions do not have permanent buildings, causing a lot of inconvenience to students and teachers.

Participating as the chief guest, MLC Alugubelli Narsireddy said the recent common time-table issued by the government for all welfare schools was against the Right to Education Act.

The timetable was unscientific, causing severe psychological stress among students, he said and demanded the government to come up with a new timetable, considering students’ mental abilities as well.

Apart from enhancement of mess charges of students in line with the increased prices, the MLC demanded the government to pay welfare residential educational institutions teachers via the 010 account on the first day of the month.

Stating the teaching staff were in a lot of stress with the burden of non-teaching work, Prof. K Nageshwar said even though there was no residential accommodation in the school premises, the teachers including women were performing night duties. TS UTF president K Jangaiah, general secretary Chava Ravi, Gurukula Sanghala JAC chairman Mamidi Narayana, secretary general Dr. Madhusudan and teachers from 33 districts participated in the protest.