Patna: Mahboob Alam is a teacher at state government aided Madrasa Islamia Noorul Huda in Purnea. He has not got salary for last five months. It’s hard for him to meet both ends, and thus he was forced to come to streets. Alam is among thousands of madrasa and Sanskrit school teachers who hit Patna streets today demanding salary equal to other government schools.
Under the banner of Madrasa Sanskrit Shikshak Saynukt Morcha (United Front of Madrasa and Sanskrit Teachers), several thousand teachers of these schools were marching towards the Bihar Assembly. In a rare scene of unity, Madrasa teachers and Sanskrit teachers were holding the protest braving the scorching sun.
Zahidur Rahman, president of the Morcha, said his demand is revision of salary of madarasa and Sanskrit teachers to make it equal to other government schools and colleges.
“Revise our salary and make it equal to regular schools and colleges of the government. The Nitish Kumar government has promised equal salary to us but not keeping the promise. We have made this demand for last 20 years,” Rahman told TCN while leading the massive rally.
“He did good for all but left us alone lurching,” he says when asked if Nitish government has ditched the teaching fraternity in the state.
Other demand of these teachers is retirement benefits like pension. “After retirement, we don’t get any pension, we also demand it”.
About next step if their demand is not met, he said “they will come to us in the election and we will reply.”
Echoing Rahman, Shiv Kant, General Secretary of the Morcha demanded pay package like regular government schools to teachers of Sanskrit and madarsas. “We have staged this massive protest to attract attention of CM Nitish and his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi. We have 4000 Sanskrit teachers and 9000 madrasa teachers with us, adds Kant, a Sanskrit teacher.
How do you assess the four and half year rule of Nitish Kumar? “They are no different from the Lalu regime. They ditched us like Lalu did. They have neglected us. We have submitted our demand to CM personally in his Janta Darbar. Yet no success,” he said.
(Photos and videos shot by Mudassir Rizwan of TwoCircles.net)
