NGOs’ Association Shows Solidarity with Aided School Teachers Agitating for Payment of Monthly Salary
Port Blair, Oct. 25: The Non-Gzetted Govt. Officers’ Association, A & N Islands has decided to extend support to the ongoing agitation of teachers and other employees of Nirmala Sr. Sec. School, Port Blair and MES Sr. Sec. School, Steward Gunj, the only two aided schools of A&N Islands who are on streets for the last many days as they were deprived of their monthly salary from the month of April 2021.
On Saturday the leaders of the Association visited both the agitation sites at Port Blair and Steward Gunj to express their solidarity with agitating teachers. Many teachers and other low paid employees were on tears while conveying their hardship to the office bearers and said they are victimized for none of their faults. Some of them even lost their words when they lamented about the threats they have been facing from banks and other lenders for non-payment of various loans.
In their address to the participants of dharna, T S Sreekumar, General Secretary and R Surendran Pillai, Assistant General Secretary of the Association held the Administration and the management responsible for the impasse. They urged the higher authorities of the Administration for necessary intervention to settle the issue at the earliest to stop further sufferings to these teachers. Other office bearers including S L Vinjit, Jay Murthy, E A Johnson among others also interacted with the staffs on agitation.
Meanwhile in a letter sent to the Chief Secretary, A&N Administration, T S Sreekumar, General Secretary of the Association requested his intervention for early disbursement of pending salary of nearly 100 teachers and other staff working at Nirmala School, Port Blair and MES School, Steward Gunj. He stated the important role played by these schools in advancement of certain under privileged sections of the society and said any disruptions in their functioning will surely hamper the interest of hundreds of poor children.
He told the Chief secretary about the grave situation these teachers are facing due to non-payment of salary for the last five months and urged for humanitarian approach on the issue .He cited the fact that even in this hardest condition the staff of both the Schools are continuing their normal work to protect the interest of their children and asked urgent measures to clear the payment due from the month of April.