Chandigarh, Jun 4 (IANS): The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday condemned the Congress government in Punjab for allegedly discriminating against teachers and forcing them to come to the streets, and asked state Education Minister Vijay Inder Singla not to behave in an 'arrogant' and 'dictatorial' manner and resolve the grievances of government school teachers immediately.

In a statement issued here, former Punjab minister and SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema said that it is shocking that during the time of a pandemic when the teaching community's role to shape the future generations is of utmost importance, the Congress government in the state is victimising the teachers and refusing to consider any of their genuine demands.

"The state government should call the teachers' representatives and resolve all their issues immediately, failing which the SAD will also support the teachers in their demand for justice," Cheema said.

Giving details, he said it is unfortunate that the Education Minister has pushed the teachers against a wall by refusing to meet them due to which they have been forced to hold rallies in all major cities of the state.

He said the government has failed to come out with a professional policy for smooth teaching in schools during the pandemic, besides indulging in repeated experiments which have thrown the education system into disarray.

Cheema said the government is using teachers in an unfair manner for training and distribution of books and food even as it is repressing the teachers who are standing up for their rights by treating their protest periods as leave and deducting their salaries.

He also highlighted how primary teachers have been transferred for the ninth time in a row and how the government is not releasing the report of the sixth Pay Commission, thereby delaying its implementation deliberately.

Cheema also demanded that the government should sympathetically consider the other demands of the teachers, including restarting pension which has been stopped since January 2004.