DTF holds protest against NEP-2020

Contrary to the slogans of ‘education revolution’ and ‘change’ being boasted by the Punjab government, where the departmental and financial demands of the teachers have not been resolved, the education system was being made helpless by implementing the anti-people New Education Policy-2020 in Punjab and constantly engaging teachers in non-educational activities. These allegation was made by the state president of the Democratic Techers Front (DTF) Vikram Dev Singh, State Finance Secretary Ashwini Awasthi, State Vice President Gurpiyar Kotli and Harjinder Wadala Bangar during the protest organised by the Democratic Teachers Front (DTF). During this, a zone-level demonstration was held in Chabbewal and a protest was held by staging dharna blocking the Jammu-Chandigarh road. During this, a ‘question letter’ was sent to the Chief Minister demanding solution to the departmental and financial problems of the teachers.

Speaking on the occasion, DTF leaders Mukesh Kumar, Sukhdev Dansiwal, Jaswinder Aujla, Kulwinder Joshan, Tajinder Kapurthala, Gurwinder Khaira, Harwinder Alluwal, Pratap Singh Thathatgarh, Gyan Chand Rupnagar, Arjun Pathankot and DMF state president Germanjit Singh said that despite the Education Minister agreeing to the demands of the teachers in three consecutive meetings, the problems have not been resolved. First the Education Department launched Mission Saksham Project and now in the name of CEP, teachers and students were kept away from the prescribed curriculum during the entire academic session. Instead of preparing its education policy in accordance with the local conditions of Punjab and making appointments to thousands of vacant posts in government schools, the government was moving towards closing schools by implementing the Central Education Policy-2020 to promote privatisation. They said that the Punjab employees get 11% less DA than the Center and other states. Instead of fulfilling its own election promises and solving the problems of the troubled teachers by talking to them, the government has forced them to sit on dharnas and take to the streets. They questioned that despite all this and many other discrepancies, what kind of education revolution does the education department claimed?