THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Higher Secondary School teachers are on the warpath against the pay scale recommended by the 10th Pay Revision Commission for Higher Secondary School Teacher (HSST) Junior. The teachers point out that despite HSST and HSST Junior posts having the same basic qualification (BEd and SET) similar workload and service seniority, the basic salary recommended for the Junior post is Rs 7,400 less than that of HSST. This would amount to a difference of over Rs 12,000 in the gross salary. While all HSST Juniors in government schools have been promoted as HSSTs irrespective of the number of periods, HSST Juniors in aided schools are continuing in the same post for over 24 years, they pointewd out.At present, the number of HSST posts in the state is 15,700 while the number of HSST Junior posts is 8,698. In addition to teaching duty, the Junior teachers perform a number of office duties in schools in the absence of a clerk or the peon.
Though, the government, in 2008, had decided that HSST Juniors who have completed five years of service will be promoted as HSST, the decision has not been ratified.HSST juniors complain that they are also denied promotion as Principal.
This, when the special rules lay down that every third post of Higher Secondary Principal should be reserved for High School Headmaster.“As per the Pay Revision in 2014, the pay scale of HSA (Sr Grade) and Primary HM is Rs 37,500-75,600. “Also HSST Junior should be made a Gazetted post,” said S Manoj, vice-president of Aided Higher Secondary Teachers Association (AHSTA).