Students come out to back teachers on strike

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jul 23 : Students of various higher secondary schools staged protest demonstrations today urging the Government to address the demands of the lecturers on strike and allow normal classes to carry on.
Notably, the Lecturers' Association Manipur 2018 Batch launched a pen-down strike from July 21 demanding completion of regularization process and disbursal of regular salaries.
Students of Johnstone Higher Secondary School, CC Higher Secondary School, TG Higher Secondary School and Ibotonsana Higher Secondary School among others, shouted slogans during the protests which were carried out in front of their respective schools and within the school premises.
The students shouted slogans such as "Release the regular salaries promptly", "Let us study without disruptions", "We condemn the non-payment of teachers' salaries", "We condemn the failure of the Government to perform its duties and making students and teachers suffer" etc.
In particular, students of Johnstone Higher Secondary School at BT Road protested in front of their school gate and raised many slogans.
An unnamed student of the school urged the Government to meet the demands raised by the 603 lecturers and allow the students to continue their academic activities without any disturbances.
Meanwhile, a teacher of Johnstone Higher Secondary School who is participating in the pen-down strike said that they were compelled to initiate the strike.
According to the unnamed teacher, the 603 higher secondary lecturers were regularized as per an order issued on January 8, 2022. They were supposed to receive contractual salaries till March, 2023 and regular salaries from April, 2023 onwards.
As the Government failed to complete their regularization process and pay their salaries for a long period, the lecturers were driven to launch the pen-down strike.
The strike, which entered its third day today, has affected academic activities across the State.
Higher secondary school students in other districts of the State also staged protests urging the Government to fulfil the lecturers' demands and restore normal classes.