Scores of teachers who were appointed in early 2018 held a protest Wednesday at Partap Park here, alleging authorities of disengaging their services in the middle of the ongoing academic session.
The teachers including females along with their childrenassembled at the park near the city center, holding placards that read “We wantcontinuation” and raised slogans.
Around 1200 teachers were engaged last who were teaching invarious primary, middle and high schools across the state.
The disengaged protesting teachers said that after theauthorities gave them multiple extensions in the past they were abruptlydisengaged on May 10, leaving them without livelihood.
“Over past few decades thousands of contractual teacherswere appointed by DSEK (Director School Education Kashmir) as academicarrangement who were never disengaged rather they were regularized,” said AdilGulzar, president of the association of contractual teachers.
“All we want from the government is our continuation becausewe have been left without livelihood in this holy month.”
The protesting teachers say that for now they only ask fortheir services to be continued and later they would accept any policy drawn fortheir benefit.
“By the mid-secession disengagement by authorities ourfamilies are suffering and so are studies of school children where we wereserving,” Gulzar said.
The teachers say the current engagement was their only hopeof livelihood, and threatened they would not allow anyone snatch it from themand drag their families on to the roads.
“Many of us are overage and have families to feed. This istotal injustice to us, this has become a social issue for us as many femaleteaches are ready to settle in married life and abruptly their livelihood hasbeen cut off,” said a protesting teacher Amina, adding that they were servingin most far-flung areas where no teacher was willing to go in the past.
The aggrieved teachers said that if their demands are notmet they will start a hunger strike and will camp in the city centre till theirdemands are fulfilled.