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How long will you ignore MCD teachers, Mr Kejriwal?

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Ruchi Kokcha
Ruchi KokchaDec 17, 2015 | 17:23

How long will you ignore MCD teachers, Mr Kejriwal?

Certain experiences in life have the power to churn your core. It is as if you have swallowed a blade that cuts your insides as it moves down your throat. You will feel the sharpness of its edge, you will feel the pain deep within but since you have already swallowed it, you won’t be able to do anything about it except to wait, wait till the last drop of hope oozes out of your skin.

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The situation of Delhi’s teachers working under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is no different. The teachers have swallowed a double-edged blade, with Arvind Kejriwal’s government on one side and the Central government on another. It is cutting down the empty stomachs of teachers who have not been credited their salaries after September, leave aside the DA arrears of the last few quarters and the bonuses.

The Municipal Corporation Teacher’s Association (MCTA) along with EDMC teachers conducted a candle march on December 11 from the Vidhan Sabha metro station to the chief minister’s residence in Civil Lines. The common man’s chief minister who has loved to participate in such peaceful protests until now, however, paid no heed to the voice of hundreds of teachers who participated in it hoping that their grievances would be heard.

Lack of funds is the reason offered to the teachers for non-payment of salary. But why this lack of funds? Has the MCD become a stray dog on which neither the Centre nor the state wants to spend money? What should the teachers do in such a situation? Lock the schools and sit on an indefinite strike in front of the EDMC headquarters?

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The teachers are forced to sit in the middle of the road, some with little kids who have come back from their school, some worrying how they will pay their kid’s fees for the next quarter, their rents and EMIs, from where they will get the money for next month’s groceries. The blade of these thoughts keep mincing their peace of mind as they sit outside the EDMC headquarters waiting for one ray of hope.

It is the kindness and courage of the teachers that despite not getting any returns for their hard work, they still get ready every morning and perform their duties. Their first duty is towards the underprivileged children whose only source of learning is the school. While the members of the MCTA sit on a hunger strike in front of the EDMC headquarters at Udyog Sadan in Delhi's Patparganj area, the teachers support them before and after school hours. Under no circumstances is the teaching-learning process disrupted.

In a country which gives out the message of “Shramev Jayate”, the hard work of our teachers is being put down. Nothing kills the motivation more than one’s hard work not being acknowledged and paid for. While on one hand teachers are given the place next to god and dohas like “Guru Gobind dou khade kaakey laagu paay, Balihaari Guru aapne Gobind diyo bataaye” still does rounds on WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter on Teacher’s Day, the plight of teachers in reality is worse than a class four employee.

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Last updated: December 17, 2015 | 17:25
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