THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:The government’s disinclination to implement the Centre’s circular on mandatory appointment of special educators has left over 700 teachers employed on contract basis for the last 15 years in a quandary.
The Central Government’s circular mandates the state to appoint teachers under Inclusive Education for the Disabled Senior Secondary (IEDSS)category to teach children with special needs (CWSN).
Around 725 IEDSS teachers working since 1999-2000 on temporary basis are yet to be regularised. The teachers pointed out that they were being paid a paltry Rs 18,665 as wages for 10 months, in violation of the mandatory permanent posting clause.
Representatives of Resource Teachers Federation met the Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani and submitted a memorandum asking her to intervene in the issue.
However, she reportedly told them that the onus to initiate action was on the state government, albeit the required fund was released by the MHRD.An IEDSS teacher told ‘Express’, on condition of anonymity, that a deputy director with the IED section at the DPI was trying to stonewall their bid to take up the issue with higher officials.
“Our representation that we are serving a 12-month contract instead of 10-month one has not been considered so far. While EPF is implemented for IED teachers (who teach up to 8th standard), our memorandum has not yielded any result” she pointed out.
When they raised their apprehension with Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, he reportedly feigned ignorance of the fact that they had been working on contract basis for the last 15 years. But he said that he had okayed the regularisation of around 410 IED teachers.
The teachers pointed out that the Gujarat Government under the leadership of Narendra Modi had regularised the posts of IEDSS in 2003-04 and their salary was being paid from the MHRD fund.
While Andhra Pradesh regularised as many as 1,485 IEDSS teachers and Delhi appointed 700, Kerala has not regularised a single post so far.
Though Resource Teachers are eligible to get a salary of Rs 22,600 under the RMSA proposal, they are being paid only Rs 18,665 per month. In Delhi they are paid Rs 48,233 per month and in Gujarat they receive Rs 33,000.
The CBSE has issued a circular making it mandatory to appoint Resource teachers to ensure quality education CWSN under section 3,8(c) and 9(C) of the Right to Education Act(2009). The circulars have been sent to the principals of all CBSE schools.
It’s a Catch-22
■ Around 725 IEDSS teachers working since 1999-2000 on temporary basis are yet to be regularised
■ Though the Resource Teachers are eligible to get a salary of Rs 22,600 under the RMSA proposal, they are being paid only a paltry Rs 18,665 per month