Unpaid CSS, NSQF vocational teachers protest outside Bikash Bhavan over dues and regularisation

Contract-based CSS and NSQF vocational teachers working under the Vocationalisation of School Education programme staged a protest on Monday outside Bikash Bhavan in Kolkata, demanding immediate redressal of their long-pending issues. The teachers held a peaceful sit-in in front of the main gate, but police later removed them from the spot and dispersed the gathering to other locations.

The protesters alleged that they have not received their salaries since July 2025, pushing them and their families into acute financial distress. They said being forced to continue working for months without pay is unjust and inhumane, and has left many struggling to meet basic household expenses.

The teachers further claimed that their salaries have remained unchanged for the past 12 years despite a steady rise in inflation. According to them, the absence of any pay revision has made it increasingly difficult to sustain themselves, prompting demands for the immediate implementation of a fair and dignified pay structure.

Another major demand raised during the protest was the abolition of the agency-based appointment system in skill education for Classes IX to XII. The teachers argued that the system denies them job security, adequate wages and social dignity, and they called for direct regularisation as CSS vocational teachers.