THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A section of guest teachers, who were appointed in aided higher secondary schools in June last year have complained that they have not been provided remuneration for the entire academic year. The guest teachers have been visiting the Regional Deputy Director (RDD) offices of the higher secondary wing across the state for the past many months to get their pay disbursed but to no avail.
Officials at the RDD-level have cited certain 'technical reasons' for keeping the guest teachers' pay, calculated on daily wage basis, on hold. According to them, the rules stipulate a 15 day gap between the issuance of advertisement for the post in newspapers and the appointment of guest teachers. The officials maintained that the remuneration has been put on hold as some of the guest teachers were appointed within the 15 day period.
Meanwhile, the guest teachers have pointed out that their appointments were carried out right from the beginning of the academic year to ensure that classes were not disrupted. Besides, the officials began citing the 15-day rule only in March this year, allegedly as an excuse to delay the payments indefinitely.
"We present our documents to the RDD offices for verification and approval within 15 days of our appointment in June. However, the officials do not process the papers and keep them on hold till the academic year draws to a close," said a guest teacher.
The general education department was unable to provide the exact number of aided guest teachers across the state, saying that the data was available only with the RDD offices concerned. According to unofficial estimates, close to 1,500 guest teachers' pay has been affected.
When contacted, Higher Secondary Joint Director (Academic) Shajitha S admitted to certain delays in processing of guest lecturer remuneration at the RDD level and added that such cases were being looked into. "The department is thinking of bringing out a detailed set of guidelines on guest teacher appointment and salary disbursal from the upcoming academic year so that such issues are not repeated," she told TNIE.
Meanwhile, the guest teachers in government schools have not been affected as the Principals have been empowered to make such appointments and disburse their remuneration in a timely manner.