CM Softens Stand on New Complex System, Promises Review Before Teachers' Day as Protesting Teachers Press Demands
SHIMLA, JULY 26: Facing growing unrest among primary teachers, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday sought to defuse the standoff over the controversial New Cluster (Complex) System, assuring that the government would take a final decision before Teachers day after holding further discussions with the Primary Teachers' Association.
Teachers turned unruly raising slogans against the system demand concrete action plane scrapping the new cluster system.
Addressing the association's general body meeting at Chaura Maidan, attended by hundreds of primary teachers wearing white Gandhian caps as a symbol of protest, the Chief Minister said the government would sympathetically examine whether the New Complex System required improvements or should be withdrawn altogether.
However, Sukhu did not spell out what specific flaws the government had identified in the system or explain how it proposed to address the administrative and academic concerns that have fuelled statewide opposition.
The New Complex System has emerged as one of the most contentious issues in the school education sector, with teachers alleging it has increased administrative burden, created confusion over authority and disrupted the functioning of primary schools.
Interestingly, Education Minister Rohit Thakur was conspicuous by his absence from the high-profile gathering of primary teachers, despite education being the central issue.
His absence surprised many teachers present at the meeting and is likely to fuel political speculation about the coordination between the Chief Minister and the Education Minister.
While no official reason was given for his absence, several teachers privately expressed surprise that the minister skipped one of the most significant interactions with the state's primary teaching community.
Seeking to pacify the agitating teachers, the Chief Minister announced that suspensions, departmental inquiries and FIRs against primary teachers would be withdrawn.
He also assured that the powers of Head Teachers, Centre Head Teachers and Block Elementary Education Officers (BEOs) would remain intact, sports activities in primary schools would resume and Junior Basic Training (JBT) teachers would be promoted to Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) posts.
Sukhu appealed to teachers to support the government's education reforms, saying the objective was to make government primary schools the best in Himachal Pradesh.
He highlighted the introduction of English-medium education at the primary level and said appointments of principals in CBSE-affiliated schools were nearing completion while teacher recruitment was underway.
The Primary Teachers' Association is regarded as one of the state's most organised and politically influential employee organisations, making the government's conciliatory approach significant ahead of Teachers' Day. Sunday's announcements are widely seen as an attempt to ease tensions after weeks of resentment over the implementation of the New Complex System.
The Chief Minister also defended his government's decision to restore the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for 1.36 lakh employees, saying it was taken to ensure financial security and dignity for government servants.
Turning political, Sukhu once again attributed Himachal Pradesh's financial stress to the previous BJP government, alleging it left liabilities of around ₹10,000 crore and failed to safeguard the state's interests, including the discontinuation of the Revenue Deficit Grant.
However, despite the Congress government having completed more than four years in office, the Chief Minister continued to place the responsibility for the state's fiscal distress on the previous regime.
The BJP has repeatedly argued that after more than four years in power, the present government must take responsibility for Himachal Pradesh's financial management instead of continuing to blame its predecessor.
With the government yet to disclose a clear roadmap for the New cluster System, Sunday's assurances appeared to provide temporary political relief to agitating teachers, but left unanswered the question—whether the policy will ultimately be reformed, substantially diluted or withdrawn altogether.
