Headmasters and teachers of government high schools in Madurai district staged a demonstration here on Wednesday urging the State Government to consider their demands favourably, particularly with regard to District Educational Officer promotions.
They demanded that only the Headmasters of Government High Schools must be promoted and appointed as DEOs in districts.
“We urge the Government to give DEO promotions only to high school headmasters. It should not be given to HMs of higher secondary schools. The G.O.No.720 which was issued on April 28, 1981 when M.G. Ramachandran was the Chief Minister must be continued,” the high school teachers have appealed.
A group of associations formed a Joint Action Committee to highlight their demands. Members of the Tamil Nadu High School and Higher Secondary School Teachers Association, Graduate Teachers Association, Tamil Pandits Association, Physical Education Teachers Association and other teachers' associations took part in the demonstration. The high school HMs and teachers also made an appeal to the State Government and School Education Department to scrap the G.O. NO.182 dated 25 July 2007, which allows three per cent quota for appointing the Assistant Elementary Education Officers (AEEO) as high school headmasters.
Senior teachers
“AEEOs are not at all connected to high school set up and hence, they should not be promoted as HMs of government high schools. When we have senior teachers in high schools eligible for promotions, why should we bring people from elementary education set up?” they questioned.
They also insisted that vocational group teachers of higher secondary schools should not be promoted as headmasters of high schools. The associations also raised various other demands pertaining to contributory pension scheme and contract teachers' welfare.
Soma Dinakaran, district president, Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Headmasters Association, S. Baskaran, association's district secretary, and M. Xavier, district president, Graduate Teachers Association were among those who put forth the demands.
