Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has assured primary teachers that the government will take an appropriate decision on the New Complex System before Teachers' Day. He said that the government will sympathetically examine whether the system needs improvement or should be withdrawn altogether.
Addressing the General Body meeting of the Primary Teachers' Association at Chaura Maidan of Shimla today, the Chief Minister said that a fair and sympathetic decision would be taken during the upcoming meeting between the government and the association.
He also announced that the suspensions, departmental inquiries and FIRs against primary teachers would be withdrawn. He assured teachers that the powers of Head Teachers, Centre Head Teachers and Block Elementary Education Officers (BEOs) would not be affected. Sports activities in primary schools will also be restarted.
The Chief Minister further announced that JBT teachers will be promoted to TGT posts. He said that the demands raised by the Primary Teachers' Association were discussed in detail during a meeting with its representatives at the Secretariat on Saturday.
Reassuring teachers, Sh. Sukhu said that their interests would be fully protected and that the government is implementing major reforms in the education sector. With the support of teachers, the government aims to make primary schools the best in the state.
He highlighted that English-medium education has already been introduced at the primary level and congratulated primary teachers for their contribution. He added that the appointment of principals in CBSE schools is nearly complete and the recruitment of teachers is also underway.
The Chief Minister said that in its very first Cabinet meeting, the state government restored the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for 1.36 lakh employees. He described it as a decision taken for the welfare and dignity of employees, not for political reasons. "I am the son of a government employee.
We restored OPS because employees under the New Pension Scheme (NPS) were receiving pensions as low as Rs. 3,000, which affected their financial security and dignity. With OPS, many retirees are now receiving pensions of around Rs. 30,000," he said.
Sh. Sukhu also said that the state government is fighting to protect Himachal Pradesh's rights and resources. He criticized the BJP, alleging that it failed to safeguard the state's interests, including the closure of Revenue Deficit Grant and left liabilities of around Rs. 10,000 crore for the present government. He appealed for a united effort to protect the interests of Himachal Pradesh.