5 teachers take 'high' way for jobs in Patiala

PATIALA: As many as five teachers of the ETT -TET Pass Unemployed Teachers' Union on Monday climbed atop a water tank in Patiala along with bottles filled with petrol in a protest against the state government.


Demanding jobs from the government, the protesters have alleged that it had failed to meet its promise of providing jobs to the candidates, who had cleared their Teacher Eligibility Test (TET).

The protesters claimed that it has been over several years that they had been demanding employment and the government had told them to clear TET exam to become eligible for jobs . "We have cleared the exam, but the government has failed to them provide us with jobs," they added.

The unemployed teachers, who clime atop the water tank and threatened to set themselves on fire, are Surinder Singh of Abohar, Karanveer of Barnala, Jatinder Singh of Jalalabad, Sandeep Singh and Jagsir Singh, both of Sangrur. After receiving information, the district administration immediately reached the spot and made attempts to convince the protesters to come down. The district officials were successful in taking away the petrol bottles from the protesters.

Members of the Adhyapak Sangrash Committee, who are already protesting against the state government over their regularisation demand, reached the site where the agitation was taking place. They extended their support to the protesting ETT-TET teachers.

Deepak Kamboj, president of the ETT-TET Pass Unemployed Union, said, "We have cleared TET exam and the government had assured us that we will get jobs after we qualify this test. However, it has failed to deliver on its promise. While on one hand the government is claiming to give jobs by holding job fairs, on the other it is not honouring its promises of providing employment. We are over 14,500 members, who have cleared the test in accordance with the rules, but the government has failed to give us jobs. The administrative officials have assured us that they will to talk to the higher authorities and get a meeting date with the CM for us."