Team Herald
PORVORIM: Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant on Thursday assured members in the Legislative Assembly that the government will look into the demand of increasing maintenance grant to aided schools and higher secondary schools and to release full salary to retiring headmasters till the end of the academic year.
CM told Poriem MLA Pratapsingh Rane that the government has now decided to give salary to Balrath drivers during the two months vacation period.
Dr Sawant said that at present, the payment of non-salary grants (maintenance grants) are reimbursed to the aided secondary schools and higher secondary schools except of the previous year but expenditure of CCTV, as per the approved pattern of assistance.
At the same time, Sawant brought to the notice of the House that the managements of many aided schools and higher secondary schools were indulging in collecting donations from parents despite government paying salary of teachers and releasing maintenance grants.
CM said that since the starting of Balrath buses, there is drop in enrollment in government schools in villagers as students use Balrath to travel to urban areas for studies. He said that Balrath drivers and attendants were working as part-time on contract basis and were paid salary for 10 months. But now the government has decided to pay them salary during two months vacation.
CM said that the as per the rules in-force re-employment is given only to those headmasters, who retire on or after the first day of November of any year and they are allowed to continue in office till April end of the academic year.
CM however assured the House that the government would look into the request to release fully salary to retiring headmasters, who after re-employment receive 80 per cent salary.
Besides Rane, MLAs Ravi Naik, Churchill Alemao, Sudin Dhavalikar and Rohan Khaunte and Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat requested the government to enhance maintenance grants to schools due to increase in cost of electricity, CCTVs and modern technology aids.
