Tamil Nadu: Part-time teachers to continue protest indefinitely
The ongoing protest across Tamil Nadu began on July 8 with more than 5,000 teachers engaging in agitation.
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CHENNAI: Demanding regularisation, 12,000 part-time teachers’ association members are entering a seventh day protest here on Monday. The association is demanding the immediate regularisation of their services and better pay parity for more than a decade.
The ongoing protest across Tamil Nadu began on July 8 with more than 5,000 teachers engaging in agitation.
Meanwhile, representing over 12,000 part-time teachers, the Secondary Grade Seniority Teacher’s Association (SSTA) has also urged the State government to act on their long pending demands.
Despite serving in schools for over 14 years, part-time teachers remain on consolidated pay, drawing Rs 12,500/month, a marginal increase from Rs 5,000. “The salary remains insufficient to sustain a dignified livelihood, especially when our roles and workloads mirror those of permanent staff,” pointed out a member.
The association also added that the State government had promised to regularise part-time teachers in its election manifesto, and also ensured ‘equal pay for equal work’ for intermediate level teachers. Four years later, neither demand has been met, they say.
P Gowthaman, the secretary of the part-time teachers’ association said, “We met the chief secretary and education secretary recently. Both officials have not given any confirmation on when our demands will be fulfilled. We need a set date, or else, we’ll continue to protest indefinitely.”
They also criticised the delay in fulfilling manifesto promise no 311, which assured pay parity for intermediate teachers, warning that continued inaction could erode trust in the administration and its commitments. “Part-time teachers have appealed to CM Stalin to intervene directly and bring the protest to a halt. Regularising part-time teachers who had been working since 2012 is paramount,” said a SSTA member.
