JAMMU: The Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) Teachers’ Forum State President, Mymoona Khan stunned even their associates when she doused herself in kerosene oil to commit self-immolation which was foiled by police personnel. One another teacher Sanju Kumari fell unconscious during a protest.
“What else should I do? We have been denied our regularisation. What crime have we committed,” Khan told.
Khan is among many KGVB teachers who are on hunger strike for the last 16 days protesting against the government for not issue the regularisation order in their favour.
“Nobody is listening to our cries. No one has even time to at least visit us and consider our case. It is better to commit suicide. I, along with other colleagues, have performed duties with dedication and honesty but government failed to regularise them,” she said.
“At the time of recruitment, the State Government as per the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) guidelines had
to engage 700 teachers
in 99 KGBVs, on temporary basis with a stipend not beyond Rs 6,000,” she said.
However, she added, the then PDP-Congress Coalition Government appointed these KGBV teachers on the analogy of Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) which made it mandatory for State Government to regularise their services after five years and elevate their pay scale as well.
“The services of around 90 teachers including 25 in Jammu and 65 in Kashmir were regularised by the government, while the fate of rest of the teachers is hanging in balance till date,” she informed.
Later, the police shifted both the teachers to Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital Jammu for treatment.
The protesting teachers made it clear that the ongoing chain hunger strike would continue and the State Government, particularly the Commissioner Secretary School Education would be responsible in case of any untoward happening to the protesting teachers.