Para teachers raise slogans for salary hike in front of Bengal education minister

A section of contractualteachers in government-run schools in West Bengal raisedslogans over their demand for a salary hike in front of stateeducation minister Partha Chatterjee on Sunday when he wasaddressing their rally.

Demanding parity in pay with regular teachers inschools, they alleged that the state government has notresponded to their requests.

The agitating para teachers also said they want theTMC dispensation to resolve the issue at the earliest.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had recently announceda three per cent annual pay hike for para teachers in thestate budget.

The agitators, however, claimed that it is too littleand amounts to a few hundred rupees only.

''We want the government to take a decision on ourdemand and ensure that we get a respectable salary,'' said aleader of the agitating contractual teachers.

The education department had increased the salary ofpara teachers at the primary level from Rs 5,954 to Rs 10,000a month and for those at the higher secondary level from Rs8,500 to Rs 13,000.

However, the contractual teachers have been holding asit-in in Kolkata for more than 70 days to press for immediatewage revision.

Over 50 women members of ''Sikshak Oikyo Mukto Manch'',an organisation of para teachers, had on January 27 staged ademonstration outside the state assembly gates whereprohibitory orders were in vogue.

With state elections round the corner, it hassnowballed into a major political issue with the oppositionBJP and Left Front accusing the Mamata Banerjee government ofturning a blind eye to the agitation of the para teachers.