Kolkata, Feb 15 (PTI) A platform of para teachers in West Bengal has urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to enhance their monthly honorarium at the primary and upper primary levels, citing rising living costs and financial hardship.
In a letter handed over to the minister during his visit to Kolkata on February 14, Bhagirath Ghosh, convener of Parshwa Shikshak Oikyamanch, called for the introduction of a proper pay structure to enable para teachers to “live with dignity in society”.
Ghosh said para teachers currently receive Rs 10,000 per month at the primary level and Rs 13,000 at the upper primary level under a 60:40 funding pattern between the Centre and the state.
“This amount is very low compared to the present cost of living,” he said, demanding that the honorarium be “hiked to a decent limit”.
He said the teachers were appointed under the District Project Office of the School Education Department, Government of West Bengal, under the Samagra Shiksha Mission for elementary education through a government order dated November 16, 2010.
They are engaged in government-aided and government-sponsored schools on contractual terms up to the age of 60 and are professionally qualified with B.Ed or D.El.Ed degrees, he added.
The forum also demanded that the central allocation meant for para teachers be transferred directly to their bank accounts and that the honorarium system be ended.
Alleging indifference on the part of the state government towards their financial distress, Ghosh said para teachers form the backbone of the primary education system.
Meanwhile, BJP Teacher Cell joint convenor and leader of another para teachers’ body, WBPTTA, Pintu Parui, said they had apprised Pradhan of their grievances during a programme in the city on Saturday and that the minister assured them he would look into the matter.
Parui claimed Pradhan said it would be easier for the Centre to address the issues of para teachers if a BJP government comes to power in the state this year, accusing the ruling Trinamool Congress of non-cooperation. PTI SUS NN
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.