Ranchi, March 24 (IANS) Unhappy with their payscales and working conditions, temporary teachers in Jharkhand have decided to either field their own candidates for the elections or support those who will fulfil their demands.
The two associations of temporary teachers in Jharkhand are set to meet March 27 to decide their election plans, said Rishikesh Patak, president of the Jharkhand Rajya Shiksha Mitra (temporary teachers) Association.
'The meeting will review the position of each of the 14 Lok Sabha seats. The meeting will also decide the seats and name of the candidates fielded by temporary teachers to fight the election. It will also decide to support the candidates who are ready to accept our demands,' Patak told IANS.
The temporary teachers, known as para teachers in the state, are unhappy as their demands have not been fulfilled by successive governments. The demands include regularisation of their jobs, an increase in their salary and better facilities. At present, temporary teachers have been categorised into two monthly pay slabs - Rs.2,500 and Rs.3,500.
While teachers earning Rs.2,500 want a salary of Rs.3,500, those in the second category are demanding Rs.5,100 per month.
The temporary teachers were appointed when the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was launched by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2002. Jharkhand has about 100,000 temporary teachers.
'We are paid even less than what a labourer earns in a month. Successive governments have failed to listen to our demands. We will teach a lesson to the political parties who have ruled the state,' said Saryu Mahto of the Samudayik Para Teachers Association.
'The state government implemented the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission to its employees, including the permanent teachers, but we are still getting a monthly payment that was fixed seven years ago,' he added.
|
Comments: