Volunteer teachers in GTA area declare indefinite pen-down strike

EOI, DARJEELING, AUGUST 28, 2023 : The All GTA Left Out Volunteer Teachers Association has declared a pen-down strike from Tuesday in all Gorkhaland Territorial Administration- run schools in the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, demanding a permanent solution for their demands. 

The pen-down strike comes after their failure to meet GTA Education Sabhasad Sanchabir Subba at Lalkothi, the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration headquarters, to ask him to call a meeting regarding their issue. 

Association member Naomi Lama said on Monday: “We are demanding a permanent solution for our problem for which we have also been holding dharna at Lalkothi from August 24. However, we have not got any response yet for which we have been forced to take this step of an indefinite pen down strike.” 

Association members said they took out a rally on August 24 till Lalkothi, trying to meet the GTA Education in charge, so a meeting could be called for their issue. He was however not present there at that time, said the association members; claiming that they had also given him a prior intimation of their visit there. 

After that, they tried to meet him on Monday. Subba was however not present there during the day either.

Volunteer teachers said this showed that their issue was not being taken seriously. 

“There are talks about the School Service Commission being implemented in the GTA area which is unfair for us. Most of us are above the age of 40 and now are not eligible to sit for examinations. We are not against the SSC as it is a good thing, but we want a solution for us also,” one said. 

The volunteer teachers who have been demanding regularization since many years now are presently demanding a one-time solution before the SSC is implemented. 

They said that this indefinite pen down strike would affect about 700 classes. 

“Some schools have only about four approved teachers but the rest of them are volunteer teachers so classes will be affected,” said a volunteer teacher not wishing to be named. 

The GTA education department Sabhasad could not be contacted.