Odisha Secondary School Teachers' Association which in short abbreviation is called OSSTA, established in the year 1946 with Headquarter at Cuttack. The Secondary School Teachers of that time felt it necessary in the rough and rugged history of the state to improve the living and working conditions of the teachers. This association so constituted is free from personal benefit rather community interest and will remain as a polestar guiding the captain and the crews to steer the ship of the association especially to the generation who will step into the shores of the present leadership. The pioneers of the association were Sj. Kailash Chandra Mohapatra, Bibekananda Dash, Rabindra Mohan Jena and some other veteran secondary teachers namely Kashinath Mishra, Gatikrishna Bhanja, Chandra Sekahr Mishra, Basant Kumar Dash, Baikunthanath Rath, Ananta Kar (Baripada), Sadhucharan Dash, Sailabihari Choudhury, Raghunath Padhi, Rajkishore Pattnaik, Bhagaban Mishra, Dibyasingh Pattanaik, Fajaral Rehman and others who met together, discussed the matter and formed an association to raise the social and economic status of the teachers. They formulated rules and regulations and drafted a rough constitution. All the secondary school teachers were invited to congregate in Cuttack City to give their willingness to be the active members of the association by contributing a nominal amount of membership. They gave their free and frank opinion to be the members and to abide by the rules incorporated in the OSSTA constitution.
For the present context they selected Binayak Acharya to be the President to give the streamline to the work. It was decided to hold statutory conference at every three years to elect the office bearers and to amend the constitution. The then office bearers met the Chief Minister, Education Minister and top officials of the department to ventilate the demands of the teachers like opening of S.B. / service condition / Triple benefits / leave rules / pension
rules etc.
As the govt. paid no heed to their demands, agitation devices like rally strike at Bhubaneswar, closure of the school, non-cooperation in govt. work were adopted. Finding no other way, govt. agreed to give the teachers all the facilities step by step. Due to the bargaining power of the association, all the benefits were secured from the govt. As a result, direct payment of salary to the staff was introduced in 1974. Then the govt. took over the management of the school and declared the 1344 scheme, 785 scheme & 781 scheme school as new govt. High School w.e.f. 7.6.1994. Due to the struggle for the legitimate claim of the teachers, the demands were achieved. Now all the schools are enjoying all the facilities at par with the old govt. High Schools.
Before 1974, the non govt. Secondary School teachers had no service conditions. Their services were under the grip of the secretaries of private management, most of whom were as rapacious as griffins. Their services could be terminated at anytime without assigning any reason there of. All the benefits, the non govt. School Teachers have till now came after 1974 on the wake of the hard struggles of the OSSTA on the historic years on 1974, 1976, 1980 and 1984 after words. During sixties (1960-69) the OSSTA had not gained so much strength as it has now. Mahasangh was still in embryo. OSSTA mustered round its strength and showed courage.
The then leadership very aptly realized that for the proper shaping at the Secondary Education in the state of Odisha and to bring about better service condition for the secondary teachers and to have an effective voice of the Association in the shaping of the both, OSSTA expanded to the nook and corner of odisha and firmly rooted. Indoctrination the teachers, the news and views of OSSTA now are made available to everyone.
Not only the living condition but also the working conditions of the teacher were emphasized. For the academic growth of the teachers, workshops/orientation camp are being taken up. To unfurl the inner potentialities of the students, OTSE / Children fair are being organized. Seminars are conducted every year to give suggestion to the government regarding the reformation of exam system, present state of education of the state.
To test the comprehension knowledge of the students, the question papers for Pre-test Exam. Test Exam and Pre-Board Exam of Class-X and Half-Yearly Exam and Annual Exam of all other classes are being prepared and supplied to the students. To enhance their knowledge and preparedness for Board Examination. Test papers are being printed and supplied every year. Moreover to supplement in the growth of the knowledge other publication like Translation, Essay&Letter and other writing are being printed taking the help of veteran experienced subject teachers of the state.
To convey and form the teachers' opinion and to express the news and views of the affairs of the association, govt. policies and the present status of the education, a monthly journal captioned 'Sikshya Pradeep' is being brought out since 1965.
OSSTA opens its branches in 314 Blocks and 31 Organizational districts of Secondary Schools of Odisha. In order to strengthen and bring solidarity, unity and harmony among the teachers, conferences of Headmasters', Block Secretaries and Dist. President and Secretaries are being held at regular intervals.
The Association that emerged in 1946 in a wooden cabin at Banka Bazar, Cuttack has now raised its head high in the society and became the mouth piece of the Secondary Education of the state & permanent abode of the Secondary Teachers.
