Coimbatore: Vaiko has insisted that part-time teachers be made permanent and action against 5,000 teachers be dropped. Under the Education for All movement, 16,549 part-time teachers were recruited on 11.11.2011 through interview on the basis of seniority as per Government Order No. 177 to teach subjects including physical education, painting, computer, sewing and music in government middle, high and higher secondary schools in Tamil Nadu.
Coimbatore: Vaiko has insisted that part-time teachers be made permanent and action against 5,000 teachers be dropped. Under the Education for All movement, 16,549 part-time teachers were recruited on 11.11.2011 through interview on the basis of seniority as per Government Order No. 177 to teach subjects including physical education, painting, computer, sewing and music in government middle, high and higher secondary schools in Tamil Nadu.
The then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced that these part-time teachers would work for three and a half hours a week and would be paid a stipulated pay of Rs.5000. According to Government Order No. 177 of the School Education Department, Nadu, part-time teachers work only three and a half days a week, 12 and a half days a month. Each part-time teacher in this category can work in a maximum of 4 schools. It was announced that the salary could be obtained from the respective schools.
If this had been implemented, each part-time teacher would have been paid a maximum of Rs. 20,000 per month, but this order was ignored by the authorities.
Subsequently another ordinance (186) was enacted and the rules were amended so that part-time teachers could only work in two schools. This government order has not come into force either. As many government schools have adequate teacher vacancies, the practice of part-time teachers being forced to look after classes with no teachers is followed. Part-time teachers are thus denied the opportunity to work in more than one school and are forced to work as permanent teachers on meagre pay.
Thus part-time teachers who work at the lowest pay, bearing the workload, are paid only 11 months each year with no pay for May. Of the 16,549 part-time teachers hired in 2011, only 12,000 remain after the rest of them either retired and passed away. They have so far received a salary increase of only Rs 2,700 in 9 years, Rs 2,000 in 2014 and Rs 700 in 2017.
Part-time teachers are not entitled to any cash benefits such as bonuses which are given to others working in the Government of Tamil Nadu. Vaiko insisted that the Government of Tamil Nadu should come forward to increase the pay of 12,000 part-time teachers who have been on duty for the last 9 years almost as permanent teachers with a salary of just Rs. 7,700.
He accused, "School Education Minister KA Sengottaiyan announced in the last 2017 assembly that part-time teachers will be made permanent. But for the past three years, the Tamil Nadu government has remained silent on the minister's promise."
He lamented, "Permanent teachers working in Tamil Nadu government primary schools are waiting to apply for permission from the education department to pursue higher education. However, the school education authorities did not decide anything which led to more than 5,000 teachers seeking higher education. The Department of Elementary Education has ordered action against 5,000 such teachers"
He added, "I urge the withdrawal of the order issued by the Department of Primary Education manner that is likely to upset the teaching community. It is cruel to push part-time teachers, who are graduates, into the grip of poverty. MDMK requests to calculate the May month pay, which has been denied for the past 9 years, and be paid for the part-time teachers. They also should be made permanent."