'They Are Busy Marketing T-shirts': Priyanka Hits Out at BJP for Turning a Deaf Ear to UP's 'Shiksha Mitras'

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday launched a scathing attack on the BJP, saying the party’s ministers had turned a deaf ear to the grievances of ‘shiksha mitra’ in Uttar Pradesh and were instead “busy marketing t-shirts”.

Taking to Twitter, Priyanka said the efforts of the ‘shiksha mitra’ or contractual teachers were belittled every day and while many of them had committed suicide, those who took to the streets to protest against the injustice were brutally beaten up.

The teachers have often raised their grievances, demanding better wages and appointment as assistant teachers. Last year, many of them tonsured their heads as a mark of protest.

In 2015, in a setback to nearly two lakh contractual teachers in primary schools across Uttar Pradesh, the Allahabad High Court declared as illegal the state government’s move to regularise 'shiksha mitras' and appoint them as assistant teachers.

'Shiksha mitras' were appointed during the BSP rule in the state and had been provided a two-year Basic Training Course (BTC) meant for primary teachers through distance education. In 2012, the newly-elected Samajwadi Party government initiated the populist measure of regularising the 'shiksha mitras' by bringing in the amendments.

Uttar Pradesh has over 1.73 lakh 'shiksha mitras' who teach in primary schools. Their jobs were regularised by the state government in 2014.

In 2017, the Supreme Court quashed their appointment and declared that their contractual positions would not be converted into government jobs unless they clear TET. After the apex court’s judgment the salary of the contractual teachers came down to Rs 3,500 from the earlier Rs 38,848. However, the Yogi Adityanath government increased the salary of contractual teachers from Rs 3,500 to Rs 10,000.