Teachers rue govt inaction

MUMBAI: A day before Teachers' Day, teachers from various Maharashtra universities on Tuesday protested against the state government's inaction regarding the recruitment process of the teachers in aided schools and colleges, which has been banned for the past five years.

From being paid less to being kept on ‘contract basis’ for more than five years, teachers say they wouldn't advise their children to get into the teaching sector even if they wished to. “Teaching is one of the most respectable and highly considered sectors in the world. There is nothing a teacher can’t do. They burn themselves so that students are enlightened. On top of these everyday sacrifices, teachers suffer on a daily basis,” said a teacher.

She added, “Thousands of teachers are kept on a temporary basis, without any security and low pay scale, leading to severe exploitation. Forget about security; how can a teacher or even a normal person survive on Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month in a city like Mumbai in today's world?”

In 2015, the state government put a partial ban on the recruitment process of teachers, both at the school and college level, and in 2017, there was a full ban. Following this ban, as schools and colleges did not have any option, they started recruiting teachers on clock-hour basis, which means their salary will be paid by the management of the institute and not the government. However, due to work load and lack of teachers in schools and colleges, the work load of teachers is increasing by the day while their salary is still the same.

Rashmi Daware (name changed), a teacher from a Thakurli-based school said, “I have been working here for the past four years and I am being paid Rs 10,000. If at all I ask the management, they change the subject, saying there has been no money from the government. My daughter is growing, and I am worried.”