Last Update:05 November 2024 10:48 IST

There are currently a total of 2,164 vocational teachers in more than 1,100 public schools in grades 9-12. It serves approximately 80,000 students in classrooms.

Vocational education in Himachal was started in 2013 and teachers were recruited through private companies.(Representative Image)

Vocational course teachers in Himachal Pradesh suspended classes and staged a dharna at Chaura Maidan here on Monday to protest delayed salaries and arrears. Vocational Teachers Association president Ashwani Datwalia said teachers are demanding immediate dismissal from the service provider companies that hired them, as well as timely payment of salaries and debts.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Rakesh Kanwar said that teachers were creating trouble without any reason and warned that action should be taken against teachers not attending classes.

“We are sitting here on dharna but no official has come to talk to us. We are disturbed by the suffering of students and are ready to end the strike provided the government gives us assurances.” Datwalia told PTI.

Vocational training in the state was launched in 2013 and teachers were recruited through private companies.

Datwalia said there are currently a total of 2,164 vocational teachers in more than 1,100 government schools, teaching grades 9-12. He said it serves approximately 80,000 students in classrooms.

He said that on October 5, the Directorate of National Education instructed companies to pay their debts by October 20, but some did not comply with this instruction.

He warned that the protests would intensify if the union’s demands are not met. He insisted that the service providers be removed from office and the government deal with them directly.

In response to the strike, Education Minister Kanwar said that the funds were allocated to companies under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and as far as he knew, only one company had defaulted on dues.

Stating that teachers’ salaries have been increased this year, Kanwar said that they are creating unnecessary problems. He warned that action would be taken against teachers if they did not attend classes.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)