File Photo: Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav
Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today sought to assure the protesting ad-hoc primary teachers in Uttar Pradesh that his government would find a way to solve the crisis and appealed to them to not take any extreme steps.
"In the coming days, the government will consider putting forth its own views in a manner which is acceptable to the court. At the same time I urge shiksha mitras that they should not agitate," Mr Yadav told reporters in Lucknow.
"The government will look into all aspects, including what rules and regulations are to be framed, and whether regularisations have been made in any other state for teachers who have not cleared the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET)," he added.
"On the very same day the High Court decision came, the minister concerned and the chief secretary clarified their stand on the issue," the chief minister said.
Citing the incident of an ad-hoc teacher who allegedly committed suicide in Kannauj district on Sunday, Mr Yadav said, "Protesting teachers should not resort to any extreme steps."
The government would find a way out after considering all aspects, he said, adding that they had helped the teachers in the past as well.
The Allahabad High Court had on September 12 declared as illegal the state government's move to regularise ad-hoc primary teachers and appoint them as assistant teachers.
The court ruled that the state government's move violated the norms laid down by National Council for Teachers' Education (NCTE) as well as the provisions of the Right to Education Act, 2010, both of which lay down that only those candidates could be appointed against regular vacancies for teachers who had cleared the Teachers' Eligibility Test (TET).
Around 1.72 lakh shiksha mitras have been protesting across the state since then.
In view of the agitation, Uttar Pradesh police has directed all district police chiefs to keep a close watch on the protests.
Respective SPs have been asked to ensure that no law and order situation emerges anywhere, IG Law and Order, A Satish Ganesh said.
They have been asked to see that there is no problem in the movement of trains and other modes of transport, he said.
Keeping in mind the possibility of some delegations of shiksha mitras trying to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Varanasi on September 18, the SPs have been asked to remain in touch with the units of adhoc primary teachers and check their movement in large numbers, the IG Law and Order, said.