The Delhi government on Thursday announced that they would increase the salary of guest teachers as a "token of gratitude." The move comes a day after one of the guest teacher groups working at Delhi government schools held a press conference to highlight how they were happy to be a part of the Delhi education system.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "I am happy to announce that the government has started the process to increase the salary of guest teachers."
CM Kejriwal and deputy CM Manish Sisodia were met by a delegation from the Dilli Atithi Shikshak Sangh who then submitted a representation on behalf of all guest teachers posted in the schools. There are about 22,000 guest teachers teaching in more than 1,000 government schools in Delhi.
Sisodia said, "I thank them for their contributions and significant role in supporting the education of students alongside regular teachers." A statement issued by the government read "Keeping inflation, increase in the cost of living and hardship of families due to COVID-19 in mind, Delhi government has directed the education department to increase the remuneration of guest and contract teachers."
The deputy CM went on to highlight how the condition of guest teachers has improved since the Aam Aadmi Party came to power. He said "The department is working on the details of the increment and will submit the proposal soon. This will enable the teachers to live their life with dignity and continue to render their services wholeheartedly at Delhi government schools. Delhi government is the only one which spends 25 per cent of its annual budget on education. This includes the welfare of all the teachers who are dedicatedly working on developing a sustainable education model in the country."
On the other hand, another group of guest teachers, the All India Guest Teachers' Association, issued a statement saying "We are asking for a policy on regularisation of the guest teachers working in Delhi government schools. Salary was never our demand."
