Headmasters in Bengal stage ‘Vikas Bhavan Chalo’ protest over safety, salaries, school reforms

Thousands of headmasters from government and aided high schools and madrasas across West Bengal are staging a day-long protest today to press for long-pending demands. The ‘Vikas Bhavan Chalo’ campaign, called by the Advance Society for Head Masters and Head Mistresses, will run from 10:30 am to 4:30 pm on Tuesday.

The agitation began with a sit-in outside the Karunamayee Metro Station Shed in Salt Lake, followed by a march towards Vikas Bhavan, where a delegation will submit a memorandum to the Education Minister and senior officials.

Key demands include workplace safety guarantees, faster and transparent recruitment for vacant posts, relief from non-academic duties, release of pending salaries, DA parity with the Centre, and inclusion in the West Bengal Health Scheme. They are also seeking complete financial responsibility for school operations to be borne by the Education Department, regular elections in school councils, qualified appointments in management committees, a halt to inter-departmental work through schools, and the removal of the ₹1,000 penalty for student registration errors.

The protesting body has said the movement is not limited to teachers’ benefits but is aimed at strengthening the entire education system in the state, stressing that the headmaster cadre has been ignored for too long.