THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a relief to the 68 government higher secondary junior teachers who were sacked last month, the state cabinet, which met on Wednesday, has decided to reappoint them by creating 68 supernumerary posts from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2025.
The PSC-recruited teachers were “discharged for want of vacancies” on March 31 after they did not have a sufficient workload of 7 to 14 periods a week prescribed for junior teachers. Their termination created huge resentment among the teaching community, leading to demands for the withdrawal of the order. However, the decision to reappoint them with effect from June 1 has not gone down well with teachers’ unions. Some of the terminated teachers have service of up to two years and reappointing them from June 1 would lead to a service break, it is pointed out.
“The government should issue orders giving reappointment with effect from April 1 so that the two-month salary and service of teachers are not affected,” said Anil M George of the Higher Secondary School Teachers’ Association.
The cabinet also decided to increase by another year the term of the Kerala Fishermen Debt Relief Commission with effect from April 28, 2023.
Justice P S Gopinathan, presently the Ombudsman for local bodies, will be given full additional charge of the chairperson of the commission. The cabinet ratified the amendments made to the Kerala Medical Education (Regulation and Control of Admission to. Private Medical Educational Institutions) Act and also decided to create a higher secondary teacher post in Kadavathoor Vocational HSS.