Teachers and staff of Visakha Vimala Vidyalam display placards asking Steel Plant to continue to fund their salaries in the Steel Township in Visakhapatnam on Friday. The oldest school established 40 years ago has a strength of over 2,000 students and 70 teachers. (Photo by Arrangement)
VISAKHAPATNAM: RINL management on Friday held talks with leaders of various political parties and steel plant trade union representatives to hammer out a solution for reopening the 40-year-old Visakha Vimala Vidyalayam located in steel township, which closed on Thursday.
Steel Township GVMC corporator and CPM Visakhapatnam city secretary Dr. B Ganga Rao, who participated in the talks, told this correspondent that RINL management has agreed to fund the school after certain issues regarding retirement of teachers are resolved.
Vimala Vidyalayam teachers are paid salaries on par with those of the state government. But they will have to retire at 58, as per the agreement entered into with the Diocese of Vizagapatam Society, which runs the school. Teachers of the school are, however, demanding enhancement of the retirement age to 62, on par with the state government teachers.
One of the school teachers had gone to the High Court and got an order for enhancement of the retirement age. Some more teachers are also planning to go to court and get similar orders. This has upset the management of RINL, Ganga Rao said.
As the matter is complex, the RINL management asked various party leaders to arrange talks between the teachers and society representatives on Saturday to resolve the issue amicably, so that the steel plant management could continue to fund the school.
Vimala Vidyalayam has 28 permanent teachers and another 25 on contract.
In a press release on Friday, the RINL management said it never intended to shut down the school, which benefits the children of surrounding areas. RINL had continued to support the school, even though only 28 children studying in Vimala Vidyalayam belong to RINL employees. Rest of the total 1,844 students belong to the surrounding areas.
RINL management said it has prevailed upon the Diocese of Vizagapatam Society to take all necessary steps for the school to become self-sustainable without having any financial support from RINL, keeping in view of the severe critical financial condition of the steel plant.
“It is time that the Diocese of Vizagapatam Society and its staff members jointly come forward and make the school self-sustainable, rather than making any false allegations against RINL,” the press release stated.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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