PANJIM, MARCH 20
The Discriminated Teachers’ Forum, which is protesting the loss of their two years of productive service and the consequent financial losses they suffered as a result of the State government’s decision to reduce the retirement age to 58, will hold a candle light procession in the city, on March 21.
Addressing a press conference in the city Neves Rebello, president of the forum, over 1000 teachers will participate in the process which will start at Directorate of Education at 7 pm and culminate at Azad Maidan.
Through a notification issued on August 31, 2001, those teachers and other employees of government and government aided schools in Goa who were to complete 58 years of age on or before November 30, 2001 were asked by the State government to retire.
The successive government then restored the retirement age back to 60 years through a notification issued on April 19, 2006.
“The employees that retired during that period were left high and dry and no steps being taken to compensate them for the two years of service and resultant benefits they had lost,” Rebello said.
“We had been forced to compulsorily and prematurely retire at the age 58 by throwing us out of employment and disturbing our pre-determined plans to retire at age 60 years for no fault of our own,” he said adding, “We should be compensated by making good the loss that we have been forced to suffer by taking up our grievances in the next assembly session.”
The teachers have said that the financial implications involved in compensating them will be around Rs 8 crore. They said that the Government of India’s under secretary had issued orders in 1983 wherein it was directed that the age of retirement of teachers shall be 60 years as also for all categories of teachers including laboratory assistants, librarians, headmasters, vice-principals and principals.
