Teachers of unaided madrasas march in Kolkata, seek salary hike

Kolkata, Nov 25 (PTI) Around 500 teachers of 338 madrasas, affiliated to West Bengal Board of Madrasa Education, on Tuesday held a rally in Kolkata demanding a raise in salary for teaching and non-teaching staff and making their jobs permanent.

The 'Kalighat Abhiyan' (March to Kalighat) by the West Bengal Recognised (Unaided) Madrasa Teachers' Association was stopped at the Y Channel in Esplanade area after covering a distance of 2.5 km from Sealdah station via Moulali and S N Banerjee Road.

The police said the participants cannot go to Kalighat, where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resides, which is a high security zone, but the rallyists were adamant in proceeding further and hand over their list of demands to the CMO.

The rallyists raised slogans demanding government aids including salary (honorarium) for the teaching and non-teaching staff, making their posts permanent, building grants, free uniform, books and mid-day meal for the students, etc. as received by the previously affiliated (in 2013) 235 un-aided madrasas, Yasin Ali, a madrasa teacher and organisation spokesperson said.

He said, "The police have stopped us citing security reasons. But we wish to remind Hon'ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee that she had wished to hike our salary 11 months back which have not been fulfilled. Why should we be forced to work for 10 hours or more in a day without our jobs becoming permanent?" The protesters squatted on one side of the busy road with senior officials were persuading them to disperse. PTI SUS NN