Srinagar,
Jammu and Kashmir Rehbar-e-Taleem (ReT) teachers on Monday protested in Srinagar against the government over its failure to fulfil their long-pending demands and threatened to launch a mass agitation.

They asked the government to release their salaries from the state Budget. They also demanded immediate de-linking of their salaries from the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

“We want the government to give us salaries from the state Budget, so that we are not forced to take to the road every day. We also demand that our April salary is given as per the 7th Pay Commission,” said the protesters.

They said around 65,000 ReT teachers had been recruited by the government since 2000, out of which 41,000 were recruited under the SSA.

“While 41,000 ReT teachers were regularised on the basis of the state ReT scheme, their salary was not delinked from the SSA scheme, which has resulted in the delayed release of our monthly salaries,” they said.

They said the delay in salaries was forcing them to take to the road every day.

“Our work and engagement is similar to the employees of other departments, but we are suffering on every front,” the protesting teachers said.