Part-time government schoolteachers launched an indefinite fast and strike in Chennai on Monday seeking higher remuneration.
A total of 16,459 persons were appointed as part-time teachers in 2012 by the AIADMK government. Currently there were only 12,199 persons as some of them had quit and around 500 persons had died of various causes and another 1,000 persons had retired, said T. Raja Devakanth, general secretary of Tamil Nadu Part-time Special Teachers Association.
The teachers are protesting at the Directorate of Public Instruction in Nungambakkam.
The association, in a statement said, through a government order on Nov. 11, 2011, teachers were appointed on a part-time basis to teach eight disciplines - such as drawing, physical education, computer, tailoring, music, horticulture and architecture to middle, high and higher secondary school students.
The teachers were appointed on a salary of ₹5,000 which over the last 12 years has been increased to ₹10,000.
“This (DMK) government’s election manifesto had promised to make us permanent. We want the government to keep up the promise. In the past two years, we protested six times. But though the School Education Minister and the secretary had assured us they did not deliver on their promise,” he said.
The teachers want to be paid ₹25,000 as salary and made permanent staff.
Mr. Raja said that for the past two years, the teachers had not been given the 10% annual salary increment either.
