Vocational Education in Himachal Pradesh Government Schools Comes to a Halt Amidst Strike

Himachal Pradesh: Vocational education in government schools has come to a standstill as all 2,400 vocational teachers have gone on an indefinite strike starting Monday due to unpaid salary arrears. The teachers, under the banner of the Vocational Teachers Union, staged a protest at Chora Maidan, vocally opposing the government and demanding a permanent policy.

Union President Ashwani Datwalia and Shimla President Dheeraj Sharma stated that vocational teachers are troubled by the arbitrary actions of private companies. These companies have been ignoring government orders, which mandated that salary arrears for vocational teachers should be disbursed by October 20. However, two companies have yet to release these arrears.

The union officials accused private companies of misappropriating millions of rupees under the guise of salary payments. They pointed out that the state government had issued orders to release the salaries of all state employees by October 28, before Diwali. However, the private companies have failed to pay any vocational teacher, blatantly disregarding the government’s directives. This has led to growing discontent among vocational teachers.