CHENNAI: Even as the school education minister, Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi, tried to pacify the protesting teachers with a set of announcements and requested them to call off their protests, all three associations said the government’s offer was unsatisfactory and said that they would continue with their protests.
Talking about the secondary grade teachers’ demand for equal pay for equal work, the minister said that a three-member committee consisting of the finance secretary, school education principal secretary and elementary education director was formed as per Government Order 25.
“This committee’s recommendations will be finalised within three months and sent to the CM to take further decisions. We request the secondary grade teachers to accept this and attend the Ennum Ezhuthum training and continue to go to schools,” he said.
There are 10,359 part-time teachers working for more than 10 years. They were appointed for Rs 5,000 and are currently drawing a salary of Rs 10,000. This will be increased by Rs 2,500 even though the government is under financial constraints. The government will also provide Rs 10 lakh worth medical insurance for each part-time teacher, he added.
He also added that the age limit for job aspirants who passed Teachers’ Eligibility Test will be increased to 53 years for general category and 58 years for the rest of the categories. A government order to regularise 171 vocational teachers will be issued soon and 446 vacancies of grade III librarians will be filled with rural librarians, he further added.
“Despite the collectors and police officers conference taking place, CM took time to ask about the status of the protests. We will continue to consider your requests and fulfil them. Continue to do your work and we will take care of you. Please stop the protests and go back to work,” appealed the minister.
However, all three teachers associations said that they are only asking the government to fulfil its election promise as it has been 2.5 years since the DMK came to power.The members of Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers Association (SSTA) said they would withdraw the protest if the chief minister announces that the pay hike would be implemented in three months instead of saying that a decision would be taken in January.
“The DMK government, which has wide support of teachers, has already completed half its term. No such pay anomaly exists in any other service and the reduction of the basic pay happened during the DMK regime. We are ready to face any action and will continue the protest till our demand is fulfilled,” said an office-bearer of the association. He added that the pay gap which was around Rs 3,000 in 2009 has increased to more than Rs 20,000 now.
Meanwhile, part-time teachers said that the government should at least increase their work days and provide them with benefits like leaves and bonuses which would be the step towards making them permanent. At present, they work only 12 half days per month and are not given salary in the month of May.TET qualified teachers also said that they would continue the protest as the government has not fulfilled its promises.