HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Teachers Federation (STFI) has officially announced a statewide, district-level agitation starting July 25 to protest the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and long-pending service grievances.
The federation has already submitted formal memorandums to district collectors across the state, demanding swift intervention from the state government. Union representatives warned that educators from all districts will actively join the demonstration if their concerns remain unaddressed.
Opposition to NEP-2020 and School Mergers
The STFI has strongly criticized the structural framework of NEP-2020, alleging that the policy drives the commercialisation and privatisation of public education. According to union leadership, these shifts will heavily disadvantage students belonging to economically weaker sections.
Furthermore, the federation raised red flags regarding the government's school rationalisation plans, stating that closing or merging existing government institutions will severely impact the accessibility of public education in rural communities.
The 10-Point Charter of Demands
The upcoming agitation centers on a specific 10-point charter submitted to the administration. The core demands include:
- Policy Rollback: Total withdrawal of NEP-2020 implementation within Telangana.
- Institutional Protection: An immediate halt to the closure, rationalisation, or merger of government schools.
- Employment & Recruitment: The immediate filling of all vacant teacher positions statewide.
- TET Exemption: Exempting newly recruited teachers from the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
- Pension Reforms: Scrapping the New Pension Scheme (NPS/CPS) and fully restoring the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
- Financial Dues: Immediate release of five pending Dearness Allowance (DA) instalments.
- Pay Scale Revisions: Retrospective implementation of the revised Pay Revision Commission (PRC) scales, backdated to July 1, 2023.
Local administrations are currently monitoring the situation as the July 25 deadline approaches, with school schedules potentially facing disruption if a resolution is not met.