Team Herald
PANJIM: With the para teachers intensifying their agitation outside Chief Minister’s official residence at Altinho, the State Government on Wednesday categorically stated that the protesting teachers cannot be regularised into service as they are untrained and non-qualified.
Addressing media persons this evening, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar asked the agitating teachers to approach the Court, if they feel that injustice is meted out to them, and that government, without any objection, will abide by the court order.
“Our Recruitment Rules (RR) does not permit us to regularise untrained and non-qualified teachers. Government sees no solution except for that they approach court for certain directives to government,” he said.
“These teachers, who are protesting outside my residence, are untrained and have no BEd or DEd degree. Hence it is not possible for us to regularise their services. If they want, government can consider hiking their salary and assure that in June, appointment letters would be issued to them,” Parsekar said, requesting the teachers to end their protest.
“I also assure to consider them for regularisation, once they complete BEd or DEd or if they apply for government posts in other departments,” Parsekar, who is also State Education Minister, said.
The Chief Minister explained that the concept of para teachers was introduced in 2006-07 under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
, wherein the Centre used to share the financial liability of up to 90 percent and State’s share was 10 percent. However, over the years, the Centre’s share got reduced and was stopped in 2009-10, until then the teachers were paid Rs 3,000 as monthly salary, he said.
“Over the years, the strength of the para teachers got reduced from 381 to 134 in 2015-16. This is basically because many completed their BEd and DEd courses and got regularised. While some opted for other government jobs,” Parsekar said, informing that these being the contractual appointments, they were working for a period from five to ten months, with the annual contract ending on March 31.
The Chief Minister said that last year government hiked the monthly salary to Rs 9,000. “Under such situation, only court can give them some justice and hence I advise that they can approach court. We will not object but in fact abide by the directions,” he said.
Several para teachers, working for over last ten years, have been protesting past two months demanding regularisation of their services.
