Teachers, including priests and nuns, strike for better treatment

More than 3,500 teachers that include Priests and nuns from Christian schools are on strike in Chhattisgarh protesting against the partiality and treatment rendered compared to their counterparts in state–run schools.

Including the Hindu and Muslim managed schools, the number of schools participating in the protest scales to 600. Most of the teachers have come from about 300 Church–run mission schools of Ambikapur, Jashpur and Raigarh dioceses, Franciscan Missionary Sister Pushpa Rani told UCA News.

Officials and members of the teacher's associations were the other participants in the protests, shouting slogans and delivering speeches explaining their plight. The strike according to the officials, will not defuse until the government agrees to their demands.

Sister Rani said Catholic schools have elected Hindu teachers as office bearers of staff associations lest the government accuse missioners of creating trouble. The state is ruled by the pro–Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, Indian people's party).

Sanjay Kumar Dubey, president of the teachers association, told UCA News they have listed 26 demands including pay parity, gratuities, allowances, pensions, promotions and a provident fund.

Teachers claim that inspite of several protests in the past, the government apart from promises has implemented none.

Sister Mary Ambati, another Franciscan Missionary nun, alleges the state government gave a "demoting treatment to our schools, though we have better standard in education and infrastructure compared to the government–run schools."

The nuns say they will not return to their school unless the government fulfills all the teachers' demands. "If we go back (without success), we will have to come back again," Sister Ambati told UCA News.