Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh School Education Minister Uday Pratap Singh gave a clear-cut reply to guest teachers demanding permanent jobs on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media in the capital, Bhopal, the minister sarcastically said, "Wo atithi hain, aur atithi kya ghar par kabza kar lenge?" The designation itself is guest teachers. Can guests take over our house?
Referring to their demands of permanent jobs, he explained that the government will have to make financial provisions for their salaries. He noted that the number of guest teachers has decreased compared to last year.
"We have reassigned permanent teachers from areas with fewer students to places where there was a faculty shortage. Why would the government hire guest teachers, and if we do hire them, where will their salaries come from?" he asked.
He clarified that the government has appointed guest teachers where there were gaps in staffing.
'Working to address issues of guest faculty'
The school education minister said that he recently held a meeting with the guest teachers and promised to address their major concerns.
"We have held meetings with guest teachers, and we are working on their major concerns. They are unemployed youth, and safeguarding their interests is our priority, as guest teachers play a critical role in running our schools.”.
Notably, more than 8,000 guest teachers from across the state gathered in Bhopal on September 10 and staged a protest. They demanded regulation of jobs. They pointed out that on September 2 of last year, the then-Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan made numerous promises in favour of guest faculty, but none have been fulfilled to date. However, after meeting the education minister, they halted their protest as the minister agreed to their eight major demands.
