PDF member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Borra Gopi Murthy on Wednesday raised concern over what he called ‘exploitative working conditions faced by women teachers’ in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) and urged the government to improve their salaries and regularise their employment.

Speaking at a hunger strike by the members of KGBV Teachers’ Federation at Dharna Chowk demanding implementation of minimum time scale pay, salary revisions and regularisation of services, the MLC assured the protesting teachers of his continued support until their demands were fulfilled.

Former MLC K. S. Lakshmana Rao criticised the government for ‘failing to uphold its commitment’ to women empowerment and alleged that KGBV teachers were being forced to work under ‘unfair conditions’. He demanded that the teachers’ salaries be revised in accordance with the stipulated norms.

APJAC leader A.V. Nageswara Rao said nearly 5,700 KGBV teachers in Andhra Pradesh had been ‘working under discriminatory conditions for the past 25 years’. He called for the correction of salary disparities and implementation of the Supreme Court judgments related to equal pay and service benefits.

The hunger strike was led by the association’s State honorary president K. Vijayagouri, who questioned why the government was failing to recognise the services of KGBV teachers, who not only teach girl students but also serve as caretakers and guardians in residential schools. She appealed to the HRD Minister Nara Lokesh to resolve their issues immediately.

Asspciation State president P. Tejeswari and general secretary G. Sreerekha demanded implementation of the Supreme Court directives, paid medical leave and regularisation of services for KGBV teachers.

Women teachers from all districts participated in the hunger strike. Later, a memorandum on their demands was submitted to the senior officials of the department.