BENGALURU: On Teacher’s Day, around 100 teachers took out a protest as part of the ‘Teacher’s Black Ribbon Day’ after 55,000 teachers lost their jobs in Karnataka and over a lakh are being paid less than 50% of their salaries.
According to D Shashi Kumar, General Secretary, Associated Managements of Primary and Secondary Schools, said, “The condition of teachers is pathetic across the state.” Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar met the teachers at the Shikhakara Sadana building in the city.
The minister’s office later released an order, saying that all parents should pay the term fees without fail. Earlier, he had ordered that schools must not force parents to pay the fees. Additionally, the order also stated that there will be no hike in school fees this year.
Shashi Kumar said there is no clarity on last year’s pending fees. “Several parents have decided not to seek admission for their their children this year for nursery and primary classes. They are planning to do so only next year and schools are now facing a lot of difficulty in paying the salaries of teachers,” he said. Phani Kumar, media advisor to the minister, told TNSE that there will be no further clarification on the fees. “Parents can pay the term fees and following that, it will be at the discretion of schools.”