Teachers threaten to gherao Punjab education minister

Teachers of government aided schools in Punjab today threatened to gherao education minister Sikander Singh Maluka in protest against non-filling of vacant posts.
"We will ghearo the education minister on October 5 at a state-level meeting to be organsied at Patiala in protest against our long pending demands," president of the Aided School Teachers and Other Employees' Union, Gurcharan Singh Chahal said here.
Alleging that government aided schools were on the verge of closure due to the state government's "destructive" policy, he said almost 5,000 posts of teachers were lying vacant since 2003.
Criticising the government for not fulfilling its promise of providing house rent and medical allowances at par with teachers of government schools, Chahal said "Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had promised us in 2010 to give us HRA and medical allowance as per the fifth Pay Commission, but it has not been met yet".

Teachers also demanded to make separate budget provision for payment of salaries from October onwards to ensure regular pay to teachers as they alleged the entire budget has already been exhausted.