Vocational trainers intensify protest in J&K, seek job policy

Vocational trainers in Jammu and Kashmir continued their protest for the third consecutive day, seeking a comprehensive job policy and an end to what they described as a decade of uncertainty over their employment.

Around 2,187 vocational trainers across the Union Territory are participating in the agitation. The protesters said they had received repeated assurances from successive governments over the past 10 years, but a concrete decision on their demands was still awaited.

The trainers have also demanded the removal of vocational teaching partners from the programme, arguing that the existing arrangement has left their long-term employment prospects uncertain.

Mukul Sharma, a vocational teacher from Jammu, said the government should act on recommendations already submitted by officials instead of requiring teachers to repeatedly protest for their demands.

“Last year, a file was moved by the department in which 20 CEOs and board directors had given recommendations. We want those recommendations to be implemented so that our issues are resolved,” Sharma said.

He said the teachers wanted a permanent resolution rather than repeated assurances.

“Our demands are 10 years old and we want the Government to focus on them and address our issues. We only get assurances,” he said.

Another protesting teacher, Saira Sharma, said the demand for a job policy had remained unresolved despite years of representations and meetings with senior government functionaries.

She said a file concerning their demands was already pending with the government and that representatives of the teachers had met Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Education Minister Sakeena Itoo and several officials, but the issue remained unresolved.

The protest also drew political support, with Doda MLA Mehraj Malik joining the teachers and urging the government to address their concerns.

“People had hopes with the Government; their issues must be addressed. If their future is not secure, how can the future of the country be better?” Malik said.

Malik said he would take up the matter with Education Minister Sakeena Itoo and expressed hope that the government would intervene.

PDP spokesperson Iqbal Tramboo also joined the protesters and said the Opposition had a responsibility to highlight issues affecting workers.

He called for an end to outsourcing of jobs and urged the government to fill vacancies and make arrangements for workers currently engaged through private contracts.

For the protesting trainers, the demand is no longer limited to assurances. After a decade of waiting, they are seeking a clear policy that provides greater certainty over their jobs and future.