Teachers' organisations across Maharashtra will stage a statewide "School Bandh" on July 9, pressing for a series of demands, including relaxation in Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) norms, withdrawal of Booth Level Officer (BLO) duties under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and changes to promotion and staffing policies.
The strike has been called by a joint forum of teacher unions, who say election-related duties are increasing the workload on teachers and affecting classroom teaching.
They are also seeking relief for teachers appointed before 2013 from mandatory TET requirements, a pause in ongoing promotion processes, and the rollback of staffing approval policies they claim could worsen teacher shortages.
Ahead of the protest, the School Education Department has instructed all schools to remain open and warned that teachers, headmasters, and non-teaching staff participating in the strike will face a one-day salary deduction. However, teacher unions have maintained that the protest will proceed as planned.
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