Chandigarh, March 6: The cash-strapped state government has proposed to reduce the salary of teachers recruited on a contract basis to one-fourth of their present pay so as to induct them as permanent employees.
Over 15,000 teachers have been asked to work on the basic pay of Rs 10,300 per month for the next three years. The “take it or leave it” offer was reiterated at a meeting between representatives of these teachers and Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary, here this evening.
These teachers, recruited under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), computer teachers and those hired for Adarsh schools, are presently drawing salaries ranging from Rs 31,000 to Rs 50,000 per month.
Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act and the norms of the SSA/RMSA and model school schemes (these schools are affiliated to the CBSE), the government is supposed to ensure that all teachers are regular employees. The Congress had promised that it would regularise the services of these teachers.
“We are shocked that they are unwilling to offer pay protection and are making things worse for teachers,” said Sukhwinder Singh Chahal, conveyor of the Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha, that held a meeting with a functionary of the Education Department. He said they would stage a protest outside Sikhya Bhawan in Mohali on Tuesday against the government move.
Didar Singh Mudki, a teacher posted at Government Senior Secondary School, Mudki (Ferozepur), told The Tribune that when he was recruited in 2009, his pay was Rs 16,500, which now stands at Rs 42,804. “After nine years, they expect us to work for just Rs 10,300. Forget about pay protection, the government is out to harass those who are educating future generations,” he rued.
Education Minister Aruna Chaudhary told The Tribune that the government had offered to regularise services with a three-year probation period on basic pay, as per the rules. “It was a decision of the previous government to keep all fresh recruits on basic pay for three years. We are willing to give the teachers an option to either get absorbed in the Education Department on basic pay or continue working on a contract basis on the present salary. Due to financial constraints, it’s not possible for the government to absorb 19,000 contractual teachers under various schemes and also protect their pay,” she added.
Source Tribune India
