In a significant development, Sanjay Shinde, President of the Maharashtra State Junior College Teachers Federation, has issued a stern warning to State School Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar. The warning pertains to the long-standing grievances of junior college educators, emphasizing that the unresolved issues could lead to a boycott of the evaluation process for Class 12 exam papers.
Last year’s boycott, which was eventually called off after receiving assurances from authorities, failed to bring about the necessary changes. The teachers’ demands, including the addition of 1,298 new posts (only 283 were added), pending salaries, equitable pay scales for IT teachers, in-service progression schemes, and adherence to class size norms, remain unmet.
Santosh Fasge, Secretary General of the federation, highlighted that discussions on outstanding demands were scheduled after the summer session but have yet to materialize. The lack of progress has left teachers with no option but to consider boycotting paper evaluation. Kishore Mhatre, a teacher and federation member, confirmed the decision during an executive meeting, citing dissatisfaction among teachers.
Mhatre emphasized the urgency, stating, “the state government must engage in discussions with union office-bearers to resolve these issues and ensure a smooth evaluation process.” The teachers’ union urges immediate action from the government to address their pending demands, preventing disruptions in the exam paper evaluation process.
