BENGALURU: Primary school teachers of 25 states have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi listing out various demands in the light of the pandemic. They sought for their pension to be fixed after granting annual increment, since they have been subject to irreparable losses due to the denial of the hike during the pandemic.
Vice president of All India Primary Teachers’ Association from Karnataka Basavaraj Gurikar told TNIE, “A major problem in Karnataka is the disbursal of dearness allowance to teachers, which ought to be given every six months. Teachers here haven’t received them for the last two years,” he added. The federation also sought dearness allowances for pensioners and employees, reeling under high price rise.
Gurikar added that a constant demand has been to revert the new pension scheme (NPS) to the old pension scheme (OPS). They also demanded that contract employees be given priority in appointments to vacant posts and sought a transfer of Rs 50 lakh insurance of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan package into the bank accounts of the family members of the deceased Covid warriors, since the payment through insurance company takes a very long time.
Property tax exemptions sought
The Federation of Private Schools and College Management Association Karnataka asked the state government to exempt them from property tax for buildings or lands exclusively used for hostels which are not established or conducted for profit, for educational purposes by recognised educational institutions, and the offices of Labour Associations registered under the Trade Union Act, 1926.
KARTET on Aug 22
The Karnataka Teacher Eligibility Test (KARTET-2021), which is required as a qualification for school teachers to teach Classes 1 to 8, will be held on August 22, said Primary and Secondary Education Minister Suresh Kumar on Thursday.