Lessons of a Teach-Out

Lessons of a Teach-Out AFTER 26 DAYS on the streets, or in jail, the secondary school teachers of West Bengal went back to school on Monday, October 10. During the agitation for higher pay a large number of teachers squatted outside Raj Bhavan; some 2,000 were arrested. At one point the teachers enlisted the help of their pupils, who took out processions and kept away from classes. Those arrested have been released; this apart, not one of the demands of the teachers has been conceded by the Government of West Bengal. The 26-day afTair was not a "strike"; it was only a "cease- work", the distinction eluding th-> untaught. The Government hat- announced some concessions just before the agitation began on September 13; the All-Bengal Teachers' Association declined to acknowledge the gesture and went ahead with the demonstrations which have yielded nothing by way of increased emoluments. The damage done to teacher-student relations may be permanent.