College teachers wore black badges as a mark of protest to Odisha government

The agitating block grant school and college teachers Wednesday wore black badges as a mark of protest to Odisha government's 'lack of response' to their demands.

Notwithstanding heavy rainfall in the state capital, the agitating teachers who are on indefinite dharna since August 16 wore black badges and stood on line for hours together in the rains demanding fulfillment of their demands.

The agitating teachers are demanding regular grant-in-aid, equal facilities as the teachers in government schools get and service conditions.

"Members of different student organizations have supported us and have joined our strike. It will continue till the state government fulfills our demands, including the abolition of block grant system, full grant-in-aid and service conditions," said a member of All Odisha School-College Teachers and Employees United Forum, Ramakanta Mohapatra. Another teachers leader Golak Nayak said that the teachers will gherao residence of their respective MLAs and apprise them on the government's alleged apathy towards them.

Pressing for their demands, the teachers had boycotted both matriculation and Plus II evaluation process in April this year by staging protests before different evacuation centers. Opposition Congress and BJP have supported the teacher's agitation and asked the state government to immediately solve the issue so that normalcy returns in 1500 colleges and 2500 schools across the state.