THE PTI (physical training instructors) teachers, 1983 in number,  were appointed by the Haryana Staff Selection Board (HSSB) on April 10, 2020. The PTI teachers were then posted in schools across the state of Haryana. Those who were not selected challenged the selection procedure in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The high court passed an order on September 11, 2002 and set aside the selection of the PTI teachers. The PTI teachers and the Haryana government challenged this order of the high court in the supreme court. The SC too upheld the decision of the Haryana High Court and termed the selection of the PTI teachers as illegal. The SC however set aside one of the operative parts of the high court judgement, which had asked for a recovery from the PTI teachers.

WHAT IS THE WHOLE ISSUE ABOUT?
The aforesaid 1983 posts of PTI teachers were duly advertised by the HSSB on July 20, 2006 for which 20,636 applicants applied. The board issued a notification on December 28, 2006 that on January 21, 2007 there will be a written test for the above posts. The format of the selection was to be: a written test with 100 questions carrying two marks each, followed by an interview of 25 marks.  Three times the total number of posts would  be called for the interview and then a merit list was supposed to be prepared. For general category students a minimum of 50 per cent and for other reserved categories a minimum of 45 per cent as qualifying marks in the written test to become eligible for  the interview.

The written test was conducted on January 21 but on complaints of large scale cheating in the written exam, the HSSB cancelled the written test and advertised a fresh date of July 20, 2008 with the previous format for interview etc. However, just before the test on June 30, 2008 the written examination was once again cancelled owing to administrative reasons. The HSSB, however called shortlisted candidates for the above posts without a written test and called eight times the given posts. Even the format of selection was not advertised beforehand and only later a format was created in which 60 points were marked to the educational background, 30 for the interview. The final list was displayed on April 10, 2010.

The SC found it illegal and has asked the government to hold the written examination once again with the same old format of 200 marks with 25 for the interview and finish the exercise within five months after the lockdown is lifted.

The BJP government terminated the services of these PTI teachers and started a new exercise of recruitment. There is a partisan attitude with which the BJP is working. Since all these PTI teachers were recruited during the then Congress regime, the BJP is not keen to protect their jobs. The BJP government could have filed a review petition in the supreme court, but it did not. In fact there is a charge on the Haryana government that it did not defend the case properly in the court.

The alibi given by the BJP government that since it is a SC judgement, nothing can be done by the state government; this is factually incorrect. Even in the past the government has intervened to protect the jobs of the people despite adverse orders from the court.

One of the instances to such an intervention is with respect to the guest teachers who were regularised by the BJP government in the state. These teachers fought a valiant struggle and got the benefit of regularisation in services. The SC had passed an order setting aside their regularisation terming it as backdoor entry. Despite that, the same BJP government was forced to adopt a method for their continuation in service which was even welcomed by the guest teachers.

SOME RELEVANT ISSUES:
•         Nearly 70 per cent of the terminated teachers are in the age group of 45-50 years. They will not be able to get any other job.
•         More than 50 PTI teachers are those who had left their previous jobs and had joined the department.
•         Nearly 35 PTI teachers during this past period have died; no clear view about their families.
•         Nearly 400 PTI teachers were promoted as DPs (diploma in physical education), owing to their additional qualifications.
•         A few of the PTI teachers were ex-servicemen and are now on the verge of retirement.
•         A cursory look at the performance of these PTI teachers exhibits their performance in the last 10 years. They have given some astounding sportspersons to the state and the country.
•         Some of the PTI teachers have themselves shown their performance at the national events and been awarded promotions for that.

GETTING AMPLE SUPPORT

The PTI teachers are getting ample support from the people to the struggle which they have launched in the state. Despite the constraints of Covid-19 and scorching summer heat, the PTI teachers are in amidst of widespread struggle throughout the state. They have organised indefinite chain hunger strike at the district headquarters. They have picketed the houses of the ministers. Various organisations of the teachers, Sarv Karamchari Sangh and almost all the political parties have come out in support of their agitation. Sarv Karamchari Sangh held dharnas on June 19, 2020 in the state. BJP instead of actively intervening in it and finding a solution is giving it a political colour. The BJP has gone to the extent of stopping the help that was given to the 35 families of those PTI teachers who died in this period.

The government that boasts of helping the workers during the Covid period has in fact not just terminated the services of 1983 PTI teachers, but has also retrenched people from the post of  temporary workers to assistant professors teaching in the colleges and universities.