COIMBATORE: Teachers handling Lower Kindergarten (LKG) and Upper Kindergarten (UKG) classes in government schools have demanded at least an increment as they are yet to be given a hike since their appointment in 2019.

In their plea to the school education department, they pointed out that a monthly salary of Rs 5,000 is not enough to lead a decent life.

G Amutha, a teacher from Tiruppur district, told TNIE that kindergarten sections are functioning on the campuses of around 2,100 government schools across the state, and about 3,000 teachers have been working for six years with very low salaries.

"We were appointed in the schools with a monthly salary of Rs 5,000. Since our appointment, not a single penny has been added to our salaries. Due to the low pay, some teachers left the job as they could not meet their current expenses, while a few continue in the hope that the government will make their positions permanent," she said.

She pointed out that while the school education department increases the salaries of non-teaching temporary staff at district Samagra Shiksha offices at least once every two years, the officials do not consider them as teachers. This has caused much disappointment among the teaching staff, she added.

Another teacher from Coimbatore told TNIE that although they had approached the school education department under the Aasiriyar Manasu scheme to seek a salary increase, the state government has not taken any steps so far.

Repeated attempts to contact the officials of the school education department went in vain.