Part-time teachers appeal for salary
CHENNAI: "Salary credited" - isn't this message an instant relief to all working class? However, these souls are uncertain of such a secure future. Job contracts of over 12,000 part-time teachers, working at government schools, have not been renewed for academic year 2020-21.
Samagra Shiksha on Thursday issued a letter to Chief Educational Officers directing them to pay these teachers salary for the month of June. However, the order said teachers would have to compensate for their non-working days by coming to school, when schools are functional. This has raised concerns among the fraternity, as reopening of schools seems quite distant.
They have urged the State to not withhold payment until schools reopen. Charging that they repeatedly face payment delays and arrears, the teachers have also asked for payment dues for the month of May, since 2012. "The lockdown has pushed me into the worst financial crisis," said S Mullaivendan, a physically-disabled art teacher at a government-run school in Thiruvallur district.
He is one among the part-time teachers employed by the State for Rs 7,700 a month. Every year, they receive payment for 11 months, leaving them in the lurch in May, when schools are shut. While their appointment order does not specify that they won't be paid in May, the teachers have not received it over the past nine years, they claimed.
"Usually, I freelance and do some writing or drawing, and earn small income during the summer. This time, I have lived only at the mercy of relatives. I feel like a beggar," said Mullaivendan. He added, the government had told them that they would be allowed to work in four schools at a time, but got just one posting. "I have worked since 2012. There are at least 200 disabled part-time teachers who were appointed with me, and our job is still temporary," he added.
While TNIE could not reach out for comment from government officials, a top official said in January 2019, the government was considering regularising jobs and had planned to issue additional postings depending on vacancies. S Senthilkumar, State-coordinator of Tamil Nadu All Part Time Teachers' Association said, "If the government allowed us to work in four schools, we would make nearly `30,000 a month." He added, funds for June were already allocated and teachers were ready to work if schools reopened this month.