Teachers strike to get grants-in-aid for their schools

There seems to no immediate end in sight to the agitation launched by teachers of the unaided Kannada medium schools waiting to be brought under grant-in-aid code but have not been extended the facility.

With financial constraints, the department of primary and secondary education is considering the proposal of each school seeking to be covered by the grant-in-aid, and hence the delay in releasing funds.

The teachers have been staging a relay hunger strike in front of the office of the additional commissioner of public instruction for the last 15 days and there has been no relief in sight.

On Sunday, MLC and former minister for primary and secondary education Basavaraj Horatti visited the agitating teachers and blamed the government and, primary and secondary education minister Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri for the plight of the teachers.

 

The then chief minister B S Yeddyurappa who held the finance portfolio, in his budget speech in 2007 announced that the government would extend the grant-in-aid facility to schools opened between 1987 and 1995.

According to sources, the finance department had agreed to the proposal on the condition that it would be done in a phased manner.As many as 100 schools were waiting to be brought under the grant-in-code. While the grant-in-aid was provided to nearly 60 per cent of the schools, the remaining 40 per cent are yet to get it. So far the schools started up to 1991 have been provided grant-in-aid.

Sources said to meet the demands of the remaining 40 per cent of the schools, the government needs Rs 400 crore. The department of education is awaiting clearance from the finance department to extend the facility to the remaining schools.

Chief Minister D V Sadanand Gowda who is also in charge of finance has reiterated that the government was committed to fulfill the teachers’ demand. Sources said the CM would get the clearance from the finance department and get necessary funds to bring all the eligible schools under grant-in-aid and make provision for it in the next budget.

“The next budget will be the election oriented budget and hence all the eligible schools will get the benefit. There are no administrative problems in clearing the proposals. We are just waiting for the nod from the finance department,” said a senior official in the department of education.

However the teachers are not ready to wait till the budget presentation and they want the funds to be released immediately which is not likely to happen.

MLC Basavaraj Horatti claimed that he as the minister for education had earmarked funds to be released under grant-in-aid code and accused the BJP government of diverting the funds for other purposes.