Haryana Guest Teachers' Struggle for Regularization Continues: Crucial Talks with Government Fail

The standoff between the Haryana government and over 10,000 guest teachers over the demand for regularization has intensified. While the guest teachers are demanding that the government implement the High Court's decision and regularize their services, the state government has recently issued a speaking order outright refusing to do so.

Crucial Meeting in Chandigarh Fails

In an attempt to resolve the issue, a delegation of guest teachers met with Rajesh Khullar, Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, in Chandigarh on November 2. The meeting, which lasted for about half an hour, failed to break the deadlock. With no consensus reached, the guest teachers' union has now begun formulating its future strategy to escalate the protest.

Claims of Discrimination: "If Lecturers Can Be Regularized, Why Not Us?"

The guest teachers have strongly criticized the government's dual standards. They highlighted that under the 2014 policy, 58 employees hired through Hartron were regularized. Furthermore, they pointed out that a joint committee was formed to look into the regularization of both college lecturers and school guest teachers. However, while college lecturers appointed via advertisements were regularized, the guest teachers were left out.

"Won the Court Case, Yet Denied Justice"

Ajay Lohan, Media In-charge of the Guest Teachers Sanyukt Sangharsh Morcha, stated that the teachers have already won their case in the High Court. "Instead of issuing a speaking order denying our rights, the government should have implemented the court's decision. We demand immediate regularization under the existing 3-year policy," Lohan asserted.

Approaching Mass Retirements: Time is Running Out

According to data shared by the Guest Teachers Union and the Directorate of School Education (DSE), there are currently around 10,757 to 10,857 guest teachers fighting for regularization. Tragically, over 400 teachers have already passed away during this long-standing struggle.

The union raised a critical concern regarding their aging workforce. According to their projections, more than 50% of the current guest teachers will hit retirement age by 2029. By 2031, nearly 90% of them will have retired. If the government delays its decision any further, the demand for regularization will become practically obsolete for the vast majority of these educators.