Teachers’ organizations unite to press for multiple demands
Ahilyanagar | July 7 | Salim Khan Pathan
(Teacher Protest) Teachers across Ahilyanagar district will observe a mass casual leave and stage a sit-in protest outside the District Collector’s Office at 11 a.m. on July 9, 2026, opposing service-related uncertainty caused by the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), loss of promotion opportunities, shortcomings in the staff approval (Sanctioned Staffing) policy, appointment as Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and the growing burden of non-academic duties.
(Teacher Protest) The protest, organized under the directives of the Maharashtra State Central Teachers’ Association, will see participation from primary, secondary, higher secondary, and private teachers’ organizations. According to the coordination committee, a statewide school shutdown will also be observed on the same day.
Teachers’ organizations stated that over the past several months, teachers have been burdened with continuous online assignments, data entry through digital portals, late-night official instructions on mobile phones, and increasing non-teaching responsibilities. They alleged that these duties have created immense mental stress and prevented teachers from effectively focusing on students, even after the commencement of the new academic year. Important tasks such as bringing out-of-school children back into mainstream education have also been affected.
The organizations further said that an official notice regarding these issues was submitted to the state government on June 30, 2026.
Major Demands
The coordination committee has demanded that the government:
Relax TET eligibility norms for teachers appointed before 2013.
Reduce the qualifying requirement for senior in-service teachers to 40% (60 out of 150 marks), similar to Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, and Telangana, or conduct a TET-equivalent examination based on the classes they currently teach.
Grant immediate promotions to eligible senior teachers, considering the Supreme Court’s deadline of August 31, 2028, for acquiring the required qualifications.
Withdraw the March 15, 2024 Staff Approval Policy and restore the 1980 policy in line with the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
Extend the same policy relaxations provided to secondary schools to primary schools.
Revoke restrictive staff approval norms to ensure quality education and protect schools run by local self-government bodies.
Appoint teachers as BLOs only when no other government employees are available, as per the Election Commission’s guidelines.
Completely exempt primary school teachers from all non-academic duties.
Call for Immediate Government Action
Teachers’ organizations alleged that the government has consistently ignored their legitimate demands, leading to widespread dissatisfaction among educators across Maharashtra. They warned that unless the government takes immediate positive action, a statewide school shutdown will be carried out on July 9, 2026.
Prof. Sunil Pandit, President of the Ahilyanagar District Teachers’ Organizations Coordination Committee, said the government and administration would be responsible for any disruption to academic activities caused by the protest.
Teacher leaders Appasaheb Shinde, Bapusaheb Tambe, Kalyan Lavande, Babandada Gadekar, Sanjay Dhamane, Babasaheb Bodkhe, Mahendra Hinge, Vaibhav Sangale, Vitthal Uramude, Prasad Samaleti, Eknath Vyavahare, Prasad Shinde, Shekhar Unde, Narayan Pise, Dattatray Jadhav, Sanjay Nikrad, Rishikesh Gore, and Sachin Nabage appealed to teachers across the district to participate in large numbers.
