Unemployed physcial education teachers protest for jobs; warn of an aggresive protest if demands not met

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 10 (ANI): Hundreds of unemployed physical education teachers braved heavy rains to protest in Shimla on Saturday.

Organized by the Himachal Pradesh Physical Education Trained Teachers Association, the protestors demanded the immediate fulfillment of over 870 vacant posts.

The teachers also called for the completion of a pending recruitment process, staging their demonstration from Chaura Maidan to Vidhan Sabha. They warned that if the posts were not filled within a month, they would escalate their protest, bringing their children and families along.

Ramesh Rajput, one of the protestors, stated that they had been demonstrating for the last seven years, with some on hunger strike for the past 10 days.

“We have been protesting for the last seven years, and currently, we have been on a hunger strike for the last 10 days. The government forcibly removed us from here. We are protesting because the government advertised job posts, initiated the recruitment process, and was about to start our counseling, but it was abruptly halted the next day,” he said.

He further explained that the recruitment process was stopped due to alleged non-compliance with RNP rules.

“We were told that the recruitment process was halted because people did not follow the RNP rules. How is that our fault when we have followed all the regulations? We have crossed the age of 45 and still do not have jobs despite meeting all the requirements. This explanation is unacceptable to us,” Rajput said.

He added, “We are all qualified for these positions and demand that our jobs be secured within a month. We have been protesting peacefully until now, but if our demands are not met, we will continue our hunger strike, this time with our children.”

Kalpana Sharma, another protestor, stated, “We were protesting to have our posts filled, but the police removed us from the protest site at Chaura Maidan in Shimla. We demand that all 870 vacant posts be filled within the next month.”

“We voted for this government, yet we have not been given our jobs. We are fully qualified, but we remain unemployed. It is extremely disheartening that despite our qualifications, nothing is being done for us. Some women are here protesting with their children, and if no action is taken, we will take our protest to the CM’s residence,” she added.

“We are demanding that 870 posts for physical education teachers be filled. We meet all criteria and regulations, and we insist that our posts be filled. If our demands are not met, I will bring my children and continue protesting until they are,” said Sitaraman Sharma, another protestor.