Odisha School Teachers’ Association demanded Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for teachers who have been assigned to evaluate the answer sheets

Bhubaneswar: Terming the teachers, who have been assigned to evaluate the answer sheets of this year’s High School Certificate (HSC- matriculation) examination as “Covid warriors”, the Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association (OSSTA) has demanded Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for these teachers.

Briefing reporters here on Tuesday, OSSTA secretary Prakash Mohanty said the State Government should announce this insurance cover before the resumption of the evaluation scheduled from May 20. The association also demanded to increase the number of evaluation centres.

“In order to facilitate the teachers to travel to the evaluation centers amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown, an evaluation center should be opened in each of the 314 blocks of the State”, Mohanty said adding that there will be only 60 evaluation centers across the State.

Questioning the Board of Secondary Education, Odisha’s decision to engage two teachers to evaluate one answer book, the OSSTA demanded that the Board should reconsider this decision in view of the Covid-19 guidelines, which calls for maintaining social distance.

Meanwhile, the Government High School Contractual Teachers’ Association demanded an increase in HSC answer-sheet evaluation centres and insurance cover for evaluators.

“Evaluation of HSC answer-sheets will begin from May 20. Now, the Government has declared all those employed in Covid-19 battle as corona warriors and included them in insurance scheme.

Though teachers have been declared as corona warriors, still they have not been given insurance coverage yet. It has pained the contractual teachers like us who are getting very less amount of salary. This has also discouraged us,” said association advisor Prabhat Mohanty and president Shubhrajit Pratihari.