A Secretariat march will be held on June 20 under the banner of the joint committee of teachers in protest against the General Education department’s decision to reduce the number of holidays during the summer vacation in Kerala and the decision to make Saturdays working.
In a statement, the committee alleged that it was a bid to divert attention from important issues such as approval of appointments, staff fixation, increase in mid-day meal funds, primary headmasters’ benefits and so on.
It said that even with the current schedule, the requisite number of working days and instructional hours could be achieved. Hence, the department should rollback decisions that put students under more mental stress. The academic calendar that was announced unilaterally without any discussions with teachers’ organisations should be withdrawn, the joint committee said.