BENGALURU: Facing pressure from private schools, the Education Department has sought help from government school teachers and members of legislative council (MLCs) to aid private school teachers in distress. Private school teachers and administrators had sought the resignation of Minister of Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar after their demands were not pushed at the highest level in the State Government. Among their list of demands was aid for teachers who are under financial distress as several parents have not paid fees.
Lokesh Talikatte, state president, Registered Unaided Private School Management Association (RUPSA ), said, “The State has Rs 700 crore in their Right to Education (RTE) fund. It has also collected money from teachers over the past 40 years for their welfare fund. The money spent on buying textbooks, chalk, dusters and exam papers is unutilised. Funds can be mobilised from these to pay the teachers.” Shashi Kumar, Convener, Karnataka Private Unaided School Managements, Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff Coordination Committee, told The New Indian Express that the last time, a claim was made about government teachers contributing to help their private school peers, but nothing came out of it.
“It is better if the government diverts funds from other schemes, which are not likely to be used this year, to pay the teachers,” he said. Minister Suresh Kumar took a delegation of MLCs from the graduates and teachers’ constituency to meet Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Wednesday, where they sought an economic package for teachers. In another meeting with these MLCs and representatives of government teachers’ unions, the minister is said to have spoken about 15 months of financial struggle private school teachers have faced. He asked the representatives and MLCs to help these teachers, and said the latter have come forward to contribute their salaries and the department is contemplating using internal resources.