PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant met the striking All Goa Contract Teachers on Wednesday at the Azad Maidan in the capital city with a deal hiking their monthly remuneration from the existing Rs 16,000 to Rs 25,000 after which the agitatitng teachers withdrew their stir.
Sawant handed over the government order mentioning the hike in monthly remuneration to the teachers at their agitation site at Azad Maidan.
"The government has done everything we can to help teachers. I cannot bear to see teachers striking. I have presented them the order which mentions a hike in monthly remuneration from the existing Rs 16,000 to 25,000,” Sawant told the media later.
He also accused politicians who met the striking teachers of sowing doubts in their minds.
"We have raised their salary to Rs 25,000 and the work period is extended from 10 months to 12 months," Sawant said, adding that around 500 para teachers, lecture-based teachers and part-time teachers are serving in various schools in Goa.
Sawant who also holds the education portfolio said, all these teachers have been categorised under a common nomenclature of 'contract teachers' and a provision is also made to increase their remuneration annually.
These 'contract' teachers were demonstrating for the last few days demanding better work conditions including remuneration and security of tenure. Some of these teachers have been serving in schools for over a decade and make barely Rs 150 per lecture with just about four lectures a day.
