Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee’s Teachers’ Cell organized a one-day “Teachers’ Representatives’ Chintan Workshop” at the state Congress headquarters today. The event was held under the chief guestship of AICC General Secretary and UP in-charge Avinash Pandey and presided over by UP Congress President Ajay Rai, former minister.
Prominent participants included Prof. Pradeep Singh, State General Secretary of FUPUKTA, and Dr. Ravikant, Professor at Lucknow University. The workshop was coordinated by Dr. Amit Rai, Coordinator of the Teachers’ Cell, while Dr. Shravan Kumar Gupta served as co-coordinator.
Addressing the gathering, Avinash Pandey emphasized that “teachers are the builders of society” and highlighted their role in strengthening the Congress’ organization building program. He stressed that teachers will play a crucial role in defending democracy and the Constitution, adding that district- and college-level units of the Teachers’ Cell will soon be formed across the state. Pandey announced that a statewide teachers’ movement will be launched in December to highlight their issues.

In his presidential address, Ajay Rai said teachers guide society and must lead the fight against the “dictatorial government” currently in power. He criticized the growing influence of the RSS in universities, warning that the education system is under severe threat.

Speakers including Dr. Ravikant and Prof. Pradeep Singh underlined teachers’ struggles in higher education, corruption in appointments, and the neglect of reservation policies. They stressed that only the Congress has historically worked for teachers’ rights.
Dr. Amit Rai, Coordinator of the Teachers’ Cell, detailed the hardships of unaided and aided school teachers under the current government, criticizing the erosion of service security and exploitation by managements. He outlined the plan to expand the organization across districts and prepare for the Legislative Council elections.
The workshop saw participation from leaders such as RahuI Pratap Singh, Prof. Akhilesh Rai, S.Z. Ali, Devmani Tiwari, Sanjay Rai Priyadarshi, Tufail Khan, Prof. Vinod Chandra, Manjari Singh, and Aga Parvez Masih, along with hundreds of teachers from across the state.
