Contractual teachers seek euthanasia permission

Nearly 54,000 contractual teachers, who are set to lose their jobs after a recent Allahabad high court order, are signing a petition to seek permission for euthanasia from the President of India.

Twelve of them, known as shiksha mitra, have died during the past 24 hours due to anxiety and shock. One of them committed suicide in Kannauj after hearing about the court order. Clearly, the court order that termed as “illegal” — the Akhilesh government’s decision to regularise the services of over 1.72 lakh shiksha mitras — is turning into a major law and order problem.

“We have lost our future, our career and our hope and we will now go to any extent to protest against this injustice. A group among us is planning to move the Supreme Court against the HC decision but our main fight will be fought on the streets,” said Vivek Tiwari, a shiksha mitra.

Among other forms of protest, the shiksha mitras are planning to shave off their heads, take to the streets with a begging bowl and do not even rule out the possibility of self immolation. “After all, we are doomed to die by this court order. The case will be contested for years in the apex court and we will starve to death,” said one of them. He added that many of the shiksha mitras had been working as teachers for 14 years or more, and would suddenly no longer be considered teachers.

The shiksha mitras, under the banner of Uttar Pradesh prathamik shiksha mitra sangh, have already handed over a memorandum seeking permission for euthanasia in Bareilly to the district magistrate in this regard. The memorandum is signed by 3,166 shiksha mitras of the district. Shiksha mitras in other districts have launched the campaign from Monday.

The shiksha mitra protest also struck work on Monday and schools with a shiksha mitra as the lone teacher remained fully closed. “We are the backbone of the system of education that now exists in the state. We have decided that from Monday we will no longer participate in academic work. Shiksha mitras will also boycott election duties, until this deadlock is resolved,” one of the protesters.

The shiksha mitras were appointed through a government order in 1999, issued by the previous BSP regime. They were expected to hold a minimum qualification of intermediate. They were enlisted to help in spreading education in the villages and to encourage parents to send children to school.