Sidhu joins protesting “guest teachers” in Delhi

Says Kejriwal makes “false promises”

New Delhi, Dec. 5 (Delhi Crown): The teaching community seems to have become the latest tool in the hands of the Punjab unit of the Congress party and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for mud-slinging against each other ahead of Punjab Assembly polls.

Punjab Assembly elections are slated to take place on March-April next year, along with four other states.

On Sunday Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu joined the protesting school teachers who have been working as temporary “guest teachers” for the past several years in the national capital.

He stated that Delhi school teachers were treated as “bonded labour & daily wagers”.

Hundreds of “guest teachers” are protesting today in front of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanding their regularisation. Joining them, Sidhu said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was making “false promises” before the people of Punjab.

Only last week, AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had joined the protests of “contractual teachers” in Mohali in support of their demand for the regularisation of their services.

The contractual teachers have been protesting outside the Punjab State School Education Board building in Mohali for the past 165 days.

Kejriwal had assured them saying – “I guarantee to resolve the issues of teachers on priority. Give your younger brother a chance and if I fail, you can show me the door. We will improve the (standard of) education in Punjab.”

To counter Kejriwal’s “false promises” given to Punjab’s contractual teachers, Sidhu today tweeted – “An ounce of performance is worth a pound of preachment, practice what you preach Arvind Kejriwal Ji. Delhi School Teachers say they are treated as bonded labour & daily wagers, paid per day, no payment for holidays or weekends, No guarantee of contract, removed without notice!”

In a series of tweets, Sidhu said – “In 2015 there were 12,515 job vacancies for teachers in Delhi but in 2021 there are 19,907 job vacancies of teachers in Delhi. While AAP Govt is filing up vacant posts through guest lecturers !!”

He also said that the AAP promised to regularize contractual teachers in Delhi giving equal wages as permanent staff, but “made it worse by just having guest teachers.”

Sidhu alleged – “Through School Management Committees, so called AAP volunteers earn 5 lakhs yearly from Govt. funds that earlier were meant for school’s development!”

At the protest venue, Sidhu said that there were more than 22,000 vacancies in Delhi’s schools, and on the other hand, 22,000 guest teachers are treated like “bonded labourers”.

Reminding Kejriwal of his party’s past manifestos, Sidhu said – “In your 2015 manifesto you promised 8 lakh new jobs and 20 new colleges in Delhi. Where are the jobs and colleges? You have given only 440 Jobs in Delhi. On the contrary of your failed guarantees, unemployment rate of Delhi has increased by almost 5 times in last 5 years !!”