M A I N   N E W S

EGS teachers call off Bathinda stir
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh/Bathinda, February 9
Agitating Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) volunteers called off their agitation this evening after a round of discussions with Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. They agreed to the administration’s offer of taking the body of the child who died during their agitation to Bambiha Bhai village in Moga district and perform its last rites tomorrow.

Several questions, however, remained unanswered about the understanding reached between the EGS volunteers and the authorities.

The state government agreed to bear the burden of the EGS and the Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE) Schemes as “special state-funded schemes” for two years. As per the settlement, these teachers will have to utilise these two years to clear the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET).

The question, however, remains where these teachers will be posted for these two years as the AIE and the EGS centres for which they were recruited were closed down in 2008-09 after these schemes lapsed. They cannot be employed in mainstream government schools as the Right to Education Act, 2009, makes clearing the TET a prerequisite for employment in these schools.

Even after these teachers clear the TET, they will not get immediate appointment in mainstream schools. Their names will be added to the list of candidates who have already cleared the test and are waiting for employment.

The government also agreed to give Rs 5-lakh compensation to Kiranjit Kaur, mother of the deceased child (Rooth), besides a job to her husband Taranjit Singh. Avtar Singh, one of the five teachers present at the meeting with the CM, said, “We have been told to identify dropouts or out-of-school students and prepare them for mainstream schools. The government may also engage us for election-related duties.”

He said they had not been given any assurance on their employment status after two years. “We had demanded that the government should give us permanent jobs immediately after two years, but we were told that a decision on the issue will be taken later on,” he added.

Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka said, “After these teachers clear the TET, their names will be added to the list of the TET-passed candidates and they will have to wait for their turn to get permanent employment. We had offered them the same solution during a panel meeting on January 8, but they did not agree to it then.”

The government also decided to enhance the consolidated honorarium of EGS volunteers, who had earlier worked under the EGS in the state and cleared ETT or BEd exam. Their honorarium will go up from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per month. The EGS volunteers who have not yet cleared the ETT or BEd exam will be absorbed under the revived EGS with a consolidated honorarium of Rs 2,500 per month till they clear ETT or BEd exam. After clearing the ETT exam, their honorarium will also be hiked to Rs 5,000 per month.

Any person who had earlier worked under the STR Scheme would be covered under the revived STR Scheme with a consolidated honorarium of Rs 5,000. The Department of School Education might assign them any work under the revised EGS and STR schemes.

An official press note said the Chief Minister had given his nod to revive these centrally sponsored education schemes.

The settlement

• The Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and the Alternative and Innovative Education (AIE) Schemes will be revived for 2 years
• During this period, these volunteers will have to clear the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) which is a must for appointment of teachers in mainstream schools
• The consolidated honorarium of volunteers, who had earlier worked under the EGS in the state and cleared ETT or BEd exam will go up from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per month
• The mother of the child who died during the agitation will get Rs 5 lakh, while her husband will get a job.