Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court, while hearing the matter of promotion of LT grade teachers and lecturers, said teachers should focus on teaching and children’s future rather than organising protests. Nearly 5,000 teachers had earlier announced that they would go on protest if they were denied promotion, prompting the govt to request an expedited hearing in the matter.

A bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay will next hear the matter two weeks from now.

Promotion of LT teachers and lecturers has been stalled for several years, leading to prolonged demands for action from the govt. Advocate general SN Babulkar and chief standing counsel Chandrashekhar Rawat informed the court that the case was pending since 2012, obstructing promotions and transfers. Thousands of disgruntled teachers resorted to protest, pushing schools to the brink of closure and impacting students’ education.

The teachers contended that direct recruitment to posts of principals should be abolished and filled through promotions, as the teachers worked for years without receiving the corresponding benefits. The govt has not addressed this concern. The teachers asserted that promotions should adhere to the Supreme Court’s order in the Bhuvan Chandra Kandpal case.