CHENNAI: Around 1,500 teachers working in Adi Dravidar Welfare Department schools staged a protest at Rajarathinam stadium on Saturday against bringing the schools under the school education department. However, the department started the work for the merger.
In a circular, the Adi Dravidar Welfare director has asked the officials to prepare the list of secondary grade teachers, BT (bachelor of teaching) assistants, postgraduate teachers, headmasters and special teachers working in the primary, middle, high and higher secondary schools functioning under it. The circular has also asked for the details of the number of approved posts and vacant posts in these schools and also the details of vacancies in the school and college hostels run by the department.
It has also asked for movable and immovable properties in the name of the schools. There are a total of 1,138 schools functioning under the department across the state. The associations demand the adi dravidar welfare department create a structure with education officers at block and district levels as the ADW schools are now monitored by revenue officials in order to improve their functioning.
Aadhimozhi, spokesperson of VCK also participated in the protest even though the party earlier was in support of the merger. “We initially appreciated the move to merge the schools. I participated in the protest with the consent of the party. But there is severe opposition from the teachers working under the department and we think that the government should hold talks with them to listen to their apprehensions,” she added.