News Analysis India

Tag: Para teachers

  • Protesting para teachers step into creek near Mamata Banerjee’s house to seek salary hike

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: A section of para teachers on Tuesday staged a unique protest to press for their demands by stepping into a canal that flows past the residence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

    The group of contractual teachers of government-run schools in the state held placards in support of their demand for a salary hike, in the portion of the waterbody in front of Banerjee’s residence, a high-security zone, officials said.

    The protesters were later dispersed by police and disaster management personnel, they said.

    Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra and other senior officials are at the spot, where security has been beefed up following the incident.

    Contractual teachers have been holding a sit-in in the metropolis for more than 70 days, demanding immediate wage revision.

    Banerjee had recently announced a three per cent annual pay hike for para teachers in the state budget, but they asserted the raise is not enough.

    The education department had increased the salary of para teachers at the primary level from Rs 5,954 to Rs 10,000 a month, and for those at the higher secondary level from Rs 8,500 to Rs 13,000.

    With the assembly elections round the corner, it has snowballed into a major political issue with the opposition BJP and Left Front accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of turning a blind eye to the plea of the para teachers.

  • Para teachers in Bengal to continue hunger strike demanding equal pay

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Protesting para teachers forum in poll-bound West Bengal has warned the State Government to continue their hunger strike if their demands of equal pay scale on a par with regular teachers are not fulfilled.

    Para teachers have been sitting on a demonstration outside Bikash Bhawan in Kolkata since December 8 last year.

    “We are continuing hunger strike for the past eight days. The protest has completed 58 days but we have not got any assurance from the State Government. The para teachers had also marched to the state secretariat with the demand,” Amol Roy, a para teacher told to ANI.

    “Since elections are right at the corner, we have been given assurances by the government. But all went in vain. Despite working the same as regular teachers, para teachers do not get the benefits and salaries they should,” said another para teacher Mohammad Osman.

    We are on a continuous hunger strike but the State Education Minister did not take any cognisance. We only want our pay scale demands to get accepted,” added Osman.