Part-time government school special teachers have demanded either they be given a pay hike or postings be announced enabling them to work in multiple schools. Teachers, who joined as early as in 2012, are paid only Rs 7,700 a month. The State government recruited 16,549 part-time special teachers in 2012. These teachers train students in Physical Education, Arts, Computer Science, Tailoring, Music, Horticulture and Life Sciences. They are expected to take classes three days a week.
The teachers claim they, however, work much longer hours than expected and several additional duties are stocked on them without they being remunerated for it. When any regular teacher is absent, they ask us to substitute. “We also do clerical jobs”, said C Senthilkumar, State coordinator of Tamil Nadu Part-Time Teachers Association, adding teachers did not mind doing additional work if they get benefits. “Whenever full-time teachers go on strike, part-time teachers handle the school. This would mean we do everything. However, we are not paid for any of these things,” he said.
Andhra Pradesh, for instance, pays Rs 14,203 as salary to government school special teachers.Even as their initial recruitment order states that each teacher can take classes at four schools, the teachers were given postings only at one school. “If the government allows us to work in four schools, we automatically make nearly `30,000,” he added stating that while they perform 60 per cent of the work permanent staff do, they get paid only a fourth of the permanent staff's salary.
