On Friday morning, around 150 teachers working in government schools around the city protested outside Jaigopal Garodia Higher Secondary School in Saidapet where they had been called for counselling. By late afternoon however, the protest was called off, and counselling then began.
The protest was staged alleging that the government claimed there was a surplus of graduate teachers (BT assistant) according to its own assesment.
The government has calculated that there are around 150 extra teachers, while the number of postings in Chennai district is only 30. These teachers had been called for counselling to be allotted posts in various districts across the State.
Participating in the counselling in the afternoon, teachers said they did so as they had no other alternative.
One teacher who did not want to be named said, “Though our demands were valid, we had no other choice but to take part in the counselling keeping our future in mind. In that way, at least a few of us will get a posting in Chennai.”
Teachers said that while all the vacant posts in Chennai district were filled on Friday, the remaining have been called on Monday for postings in other districts.
Earlier in the morning, they raised concerns on many levels, beginning with how the number of excess teachers was arrived at, to the manner in which the vacancies were being filled up.
A. Mayavan, Founder-President, Tamil Nadu High and Higher Secondary School Graduate Teacher’s Association said, “The surplus was calculated based on assessments made in 2011, but the transfers are happening almost a year later. In this period, there have been graduate teachers who have retired, graduate teachers (Tamil) who were promoted as Headmasters, and graduate teachers who have been promoted to become post-graduate assistants. All this has not been taken into account.”
Officials, when contacted, were unavailable for comment.
Keywords: teachers protest
