Amit Patkar attacked the BJP Govt over the insecurity faced by Goa’s teachers, demanding answers for their struggle with low remuneration, contractual uncertainty, and unresolved service issues, while questioning the state's education model.
Former Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Amit Patkar on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP Government over the continuing insecurity faced by Goa’s teaching community, saying that while Union Home Minister Amit Shah was in Goa reviewing the BJP organisation and the performance of the State Government, the ruling party must also answer for the plight of teachers who continue to struggle for recognition, fair remuneration, job security and dignity.
Patkar said that the BJP cannot keep speaking about education reforms, NEP implementation and Goa’s future while the very people responsible for educating Goa’s children are left struggling with contractual uncertainty, low remuneration and unresolved service issues. "Before discussing the BJP’s roadmap for 2027, the BJP leadership must answer the teachers of Goa. What kind of education model keeps teachers uncertain about their own future?" he asked.
Cross-Party Support for Teachers' Cause
The event at the Town Hall brought together pre-primary teachers, lecture-based teachers (LBTs), vocational teachers, librarians and other education stakeholders, who spoke openly about their long-pending grievances and the difficulties they face within Goa’s education system.
The programme also saw the participation of Goa Forward Party president and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai and AAP MLA Capt Venzy Viegas, reflecting a broader coming together on issues affecting Goa’s education fraternity. Patkar thanked both leaders for joining the initiative and said that when an issue concerns teachers and the future of Goa’s children, political boundaries must not become barriers.
“I sincerely thank Vijai-bab Sardesai and Capt. Venzy Viegas for being part of this Town Hall. We may belong to different political parties, we may have differences on many issues, but the cause of Goa’s teachers cannot belong to one party. When teachers are suffering, every responsible political leader has a duty to stand with them,” he said.
Plight of Pre-Primary and Balvatika Educators
Pre-primary teachers raised serious concerns regarding statutory recognition, low salaries, absence of grant-in-aid, service protection and social security. Under the NEP framework, Balvatika forms part of the foundational stage of education. Teachers questioned how Goa can claim successful implementation of the new education policy without providing a proper legal and financial framework for the educators entrusted with this crucial stage.
"The Government calls Balvatika the foundation of a child’s education. Then why is the teacher who builds that foundation still struggling for recognition and a decent salary? You cannot build NEP on insecure teachers," Patkar said. He demanded that pre-primary education and its teachers receive appropriate recognition within Goa’s education framework and that the Government address the demand for grant-in-aid and fair remuneration. Patkar had earlier raised the plight of pre-primary teachers, including reports of educators receiving salaries as low as ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 per month.
Uncertainty for Lecture Basis Teachers (LBTs)
The situation faced by 77 affected Lecture Basis Teachers was also discussed at length. Teachers highlighted that several among them have served Goa’s education system for years and are now facing tremendous financial and emotional uncertainty. Patkar demanded immediate intervention by the Government and a permanent solution for the affected teachers, including absorption and regularisation wherever legally and administratively possible.
"These are not 77 files lying in a Government department. These are 77 teachers, 77 families and years of service given to Goa’s children. A Government that respects teachers cannot simply leave them hanging between employment and unemployment," he said. Patkar said assurances would no longer be enough and that affected teachers have every democratic right to intensify their struggle peacefully if the Government fails to resolve the matter.
Insecurity Among Vocational Teachers and Librarians
Vocational teachers raised concerns over repeated short-term contracts, absence of service security and issues concerning recognition of appropriate qualifications at the event. School librarians also highlighted inadequate remuneration and insecure contractual arrangements despite carrying out essential responsibilities within educational institutions.
Patkar said contractual employment cannot become the BJP Government’s permanent employment policy. “If the work continues every year, if the institution needs you every year and if students depend on your work every year, why should your employment become temporary every year? Permanent responsibilities cannot be carried by permanently temporary employees,” he said.
'Teachers’ Charter' to Consolidate Demands
Patkar announced that the concerns raised at the Town Hall will now be consolidated into a comprehensive Teachers’ Charter, which will be pursued politically, legislatively and publicly. The Charter will include demands for: recognition and service protection for pre-primary educators; grant-in-aid and fair remuneration for pre-primary teachers; resolution of pending grant-related issues; immediate relief and a permanent solution for the 77 affected LBT teachers; service security and regularisation for vocational teachers; recognition of appropriate teaching qualifications; fair remuneration and service security for school librarians; effective implementation of NEP 2020; and greater Government priority for teacher welfare, education infrastructure and quality education.
Patkar said the Town Hall would not end with speeches and assurances. “Teachers have spoken today. We have heard them. Now the Government must answer them," he added.
Education Welfare as 2027 Election Issue
Taking the issue directly into the political arena, Patkar said education and teacher welfare must become an important part of the debate leading into the 2027 Goa Assembly elections. "The BJP may be preparing its strategy for 2027, but Goa’s teachers will also judge this Government on what it has done for them. Elections cannot only be about political arithmetic. They must also be about the dignity of the people who build our society," Patkar said.
Patkar called upon Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the BJP Government to initiate a structured, time-bound dialogue with the affected teachers and resolve their grievances instead of allowing them to remain trapped in administrative files. He said Goa can aspire to become a model education State only when its teachers are respected, not merely through ceremonial functions and Teachers’ Day messages, but through fair salaries, secure employment, recognition and dignity.
“Teachers build Goa’s future every single day. A Government that cannot secure the future of its teachers has no moral right to boast about securing the future of education," he added. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)