I am ready to sit for talks with para teachers : Minister

West Bengal Education minister Partha Chatterjee on Saturday said the government is ready to sit for talks with fasting para-teachers to discuss their issue but iterated his appeal to them to join classes. Chatterjee told reporters at Bikash Bhavan, the state Education department headquarters here, that he has received a letter from Para-teachers Oikyo Manch urging the government to sit for talks and he would like to meet them next week.

"I have received a letter from the organisation (para teachers oikyo manch) urging the government to initiate dialogue with them and I am positive about that. After I come back from my visit to Burdwan University on Monday, I am ready to sit for talks with them on Tuesday or at a later date," the minister said. Chatterjee, however, said he was in favour of holding talks with representatives of all the para-teachers' and primary teachers' bodies and "not one organisation only." On the issue of accepting the demands of the para- teachers, the minister said, "We have done whatever is possible within our financial ability, our fiscal strength." "I again appeal to them to take classes in the interest of students," the minister said.

The para teachers indefinite fast entered the 22nd day on Saturday. "We want to be called as elementary teachers and not as para-teachers. We want to get a salary more than group D staff of state government, in the region of Rs 22,000-25,000 from the present Rs 12,000-15,000," the Co-Convenor of the agitating organisation Bhagirath Ghosh said.

Meanwhile, the organisation has decided that para- teachers across the state will attend classes for five days from December 6. "We are ready for talks but the government should consider our demand as it is becoming increasingly difficult to continue in the present salary structure ranging from Rs 10,000-12,000," Ghosh said..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)