Mumbai: The legislators elected from teachers' constituency staged a sit in agitation in Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday to press the demands of grant to un-aided schools and inquiry into the lathi-charge on teachers who are agitating for these demands.
There is a hint that government may consider the demand in Wednesday’s cabinet meeting. The legislators were not ready to call off their agitation. They were demanding to see the cabinet note in this regard.
But Education Minister Ashish Shelar, by sending his Officer on Special Duty, persuaded them to call off their agitation and promised to hold a high-level meeting in this regard.
The legislators staged sit in for at least 5 hours. In Maharashtra Legislative Council, seven members out of 78 are elected from teachers' constituency.
On Tuesday, legislators NG Ganar, Vikram Kale, Shrikant Deshpande, Balaram Patil, Dattatray Sawant and Sudhir Tambe agitated in Vidhan Bhavan premises to press for their demands.
“The cabinet meeting scheduled to be held tomorrow should take a decision of providing grants to unaided schools,” was the main demand of these legislators.
The Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde and Deputy Chairperson Dr Neelam Gorhe visited these agitating legislators. Both of them expressed their solidarity with these legislators.
"The government’s apathy towards unaided schools have angered teachers. The state government should immediately take decision to provide grants,” Munde said. Dr. Gorhe promised to discuss these demands to Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray.
“We condemn the lathi-charge on teachers. The government should immediately approve 100 percent grants to all unaided schools which are evaluated by the government. The schools which are getting 20 percent grant should now get 100 percent grant,” demanded NG Ganar.
“The education minister promised to take such decision in meeting held two months before. Now the model code of conduct will come into effect at anytime. The teachers are angry with us too and we can't roam freely,” another legislator Vikram Kale shared his pain.
“The state government is cheating us. They are not ready to take our cognisance. The file of this subject is moving from one table to another from 2003. Government at least work fast on this sensitive subject,” Dattatray Sawant said.
