West Bengal: Protesting Para Teachers Continue Hunger Strike Demanding Equal Pay

Raising voice against the pay disparity, the para teachers in West Bengal have been staging a protest outside Kolkata's Bikash Bhawan since December 8, last year.

The protesting para teachers have warned the state government of continuing their hunger strike if their demands of equal pay on a par with regular teachers are not met.

The para teachers or contract teachers are recruited instead of regular full-time teachers in government schools, especially due to limited financial resources. However, such recruitment has always sparked debate over the temporary arrangement, remuneration and hiring conditions.

"We are continuing hunger strike for the past eight days. The protest has completed 58 days but we have not got any assurance from the State Government. The para teachers had also marched to the state secretariat with the demand," Amol Roy, Hindustan Times quoted a para teacher.

"Since elections are right at the corner, we have been given assurances by the government. But all went in vain. Despite working the same as regular teachers, para teachers do not get the benefits and salaries they should," said another para teacher Mohammad Osman.

Several reports have highlighted that the state government did not take any cognisance of the protest and no positive response to economic demands was received.

Earlier, the state education department had increased the salary of para teachers at primary level from ₹5,954 to ₹10,000 a month. Meanwhile, the monthly salary of para teachers at the higher secondary level was raised from ₹8,500 to ₹13,000.

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