Retired teachers protest in Guwahati, urge CM to resolve pension, gratuity issues
The organizations urged the government to provide 50 per cent of the last basic pay as pension to all teachers who joined before 2005 and later became provincialised.
Guwahati, Nov 15: Two organisations representing retired school teachers and employees in Assam have appealed to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to immediately address the long-pending issues of pension, gratuity and access to free healthcare for those who joined service before 2005 and were provincialized in 2013.
After staging a protest in Chachal, Guwahati on Saturday, the Assam High School Retired Teachers and Employees Association and the All Assam Retired Primary School Teachers and Employees Association said that hundreds of provincialized teachers regularized in 2013 are spending their retirement years in severe financial distress due to the absence of post-retirement benefits.
The associations stated that many retired teachers are unable to afford medical treatment, basic nutrition or family sustenance, pushing several into depression and, in some cases, leading to premature deaths. They said the situation has become "indescribably difficult" for those who had served the Education department for decades.
The organizations urged the government to provide 50 per cent of the last basic pay as pension to all teachers who joined before 2005 and later became provincialized. They also sought immediate implementation of the Chief Minister’s earlier announcement made at the Sarusajai Stadium teachers' appointment ceremony on February 5, 2021 – promising Rs 10 lakh gratuity even if a teacher retires after receiving one month’s salary.
Additionally, they demanded pension and gratuity for the families of retired teachers who have passed away and requested that all retired teachers and employees be brought under free health and medical service coverage.
The associations said they hoped the Chief Minister would intervene urgently to resolve these long-pending grievances affecting thousands of former educators across the State.
By
Staff Reporter