Bhubaneswar, March 20 (IANS) In a significant decision, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has approved the regularisation of contractual Junior Teacher (Schematic) across the state, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in an official statement on Friday.

As per the decision, Junior Teachers (Schematic) appointed during the 2023–24 period have now been regularised, benefiting more than 13,000 teachers in Odisha.

The move is expected to bring long-awaited relief to thousands of educators who had been working under contractual conditions despite repeated demands for job security.

According to the official statement, the teachers will be considered regular employees from the date of their joining. However, they will receive notional benefits for the period from their joining date till December 31, 2025.

With effect from January 1, 2026, they will be entitled to full salary and all other benefits applicable to regular government employees, including allowances and service-related entitlements.

The Chief Minister had earlier announced the government’s intention to regularise junior schematic teachers.

With formal approval now granted, the decision has been widely welcomed by the teaching community, many of whom had been staging protests over the issue for months.

Despite the state government’s earlier move to abolish the contractual system in government jobs, more than 13,000 junior teachers continued to serve on a contractual basis for the initial six years of their employment.

This had led to growing discontent among teachers, who argued that the system denied them equal pay and job security.

The schematic junior teachers had consistently demanded complete abolition of the contractual system and immediate regularisation of their services.

Although the government had earlier increased their monthly remuneration, the demand for full regularisation remained unresolved until now.

With this decision, the state government has taken a major step toward addressing the concerns of the teaching community and strengthening the education system in Odisha.

–IANS

gyan/dan