Bhubaneswar, Dec 3: The Odisha government has constituted a high-level committee chaired by former IAS officer Ashok Kumar Tripathy to examine the long-standing demands of teachers, lecturers, and staff employed under the School and Mass Education and Higher Education Departments across the state.

The high-level committee will submit their report to the state government within six months.

Announcing the decision in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi stated that there are various types of government, aided, and unaided non-government educational institutions under the School and Mass Education Department and the Higher Education Department of the state government.

He added that teachers, lecturers, and staff working in these educational institutions have been presenting various demands before the state government from time to time.

“Discussions have also been held on these demands at different points in time. Taking these matters seriously, the state government has decided to constitute a high-level committee under the chairmanship of Shri Ashok Kumar Tripathy, Indian Administrative Service (Retired), to examine the set of demands of teachers, lecturers, and staff. The committee is expected to submit its report to the state government within six months,” CM Majhi said in the Odisha Assembly on Wednesday.

Earlier in September this year, thousands of teachers and staff from non-government aided and unaided educational institutions had observed the Teachers’ Day as a “Black Day” to highlight their long-pending demands.

Meanwhile, the president of the Odisha State Non-Government Lecturers and Employees Association, Biswaranjan Das, expressed shock over the announcement of a new high-level committee.

Das said that another high-level committee had already been formed in December last year to examine the demands of teachers. That committee has held four meetings with all stakeholders and has yet to submit its report to the government.

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Expressing displeasure over the latest announcement, he remarked that when the previous committee was still examining their concerns, the creation of yet another committee by the state government appears to be nothing more than an attempt to mislead teachers and delay the process.

(IANS)