Five-Point Charter of Demands: Block Grant Teachers Stage Protest at Boden, Submit Memorandum to Chief Minister

Demanding the resolution of several long-pending issues, Block Grant teachers and staff of Boden Block in Odisha’s Nuapada district staged a protest demonstration in front of the Block Office on Thursday. Later, they submitted a five-point memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister through Boden Block Development Officer (BDO) Chinmay Sagar. According to the teachers’ association, all eligible schools and colleges should be brought under the Grant-in-Aid (GIA-in-Fold) system. They also demanded that teachers and non-teaching staff of newly aided educational institutions be provided with pension benefits and other service entitlements. The association further urged the government to formulate a permanent policy for the appointment of teaching and non-teaching staff in newly aided schools and colleges from the initial stage, increase the retirement age from 60 to 62 years, and remove anomalies in the grade pay structure. Following the protest, a delegation of teachers met BDO Chinmay Sagar and handed over the memorandum. The BDO reportedly assured the delegation that their demands would be forwarded to the State Government for necessary consideration. The protest was attended by Teachers’ Association Secretary Simanchal Das, Binod Bihari Majhi, Purna Chandra Hans, Lingaraj Kata, Kashiram Dandsena, along with a large number of Block Grant teachers and staff, who appealed to the government for the early fulfilment of their demands.