CHENNAI: More than one lakh government school teachers participated in the state-wide protest on the third day of the stir called by by the Joint Action Committee of Teachers’ Organisation (JACTO), an umbrella body of 24 associations.
Though city schools weren’t affected, several elementary schools in rural areas remained closed as the teachers boycotted their day’s work to press their 15-point charter of demands.
The school education department had sent text messages to all the headmasters informing them that one-day salary of teachers who participated in the protests would be deducted.
However, a senior school education department official said, “Block Resource teachers, diploma and special teachers, faculties from neighbouring schools with excess staff-strength were roped in to ensure that the classes went on uninterrupted.”
While more than 1000 teachers were detained by the police when they tried to stage a road blockade near Chepauk, more than 30,000 were held across TN for attempts to picket district collectorates.
Their basic demand is increase in salary at par with Central government teachers (under sixth Pay Commission) and scrapping of the new Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).
Samy Sathiamorthy, a high-level committee member from JACTO, said, “This is the fifth time a state-wide protest has been organised by the teachers and if the department was not ready to consider our demands, a decision regarding boycotting exams and elections would be discussed in the meeting to be held next week.”
An official said the Director of School Education has received their petition and efforts would be made to resolve the issue at the earliest.