CHENNAI: The School Education Department, through an order on Tuesday, sanctioned funds to clear the salary for April, due to 8,462 temporary teachers. This has come much to the relief of temporary teachers, who get paid Rs 7,500 per month. Even though temporary teachers do just as much work as permanent employees, they get paid two or three times lesser than permanent employees.
In 2011, the State government had filled in vacancies of 1,590 postgraduate teachers and 6,872 graduate teachers using temporary staff, in order to meet the 1:40 teacher-student ratio. However, the contract with which they were employed, was repeatedly extended until March 31, 2019.
While further extension of the contract was being reconsidered by the department, the government had failed to disburse the salary for April for these temporary teachers. After pressure from the teachers, whose livelihood depended on the salary, the department on Thursday, issued an order sanctioning funds to pay the due. A senior official from the department said that the salary would be credited in a week.