‘Demands not met’: Special educators launch indefinite hunger protest on Teachers’ Day
Total 1,175 special educators were appointed by the Maharashtra Prathamik Shikshan Parishad (MPSP) for the project of inclusive education, which ensures that children with disabilities can study in regular schools.
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"Government data shows that over 3 lakh children with disabilities study in various schools across Maharashtra, but there are only 1,175 of us, who are now forced to cover larger areas and multiple schools spread across faraway regions. And all this, we are expected to do with a mere salary of Rs 2,000 a month, with no guarantee of job as we were appointed on contract basis," said Umesh Shinde, Many special educators from Maharashtra launched an indefinite hunger protest at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Tuesday — on the occasion of Teachers’ Day — demanding permanent appointments and salary revision.
These teachers have been complaining that the state government has failed to absorb them as regular employees, with their old scanty figure salary remaining the same from the beginning — making everything difficult for them.
Total 1,175 special educators were appointed by the Maharashtra Prathamik Shikshan Parishad (MPSP) for the project of inclusive education, which ensures that children with disabilities can study in regular schools.
According to the prescribed norm, the student-teacher ratio is one special educator for 10 children with disabilities, wherein a special educator becomes an additional support to a child along with a regular teacher.
“Government data shows that over 3 lakh children with disabilities study in various schools across Maharashtra, but there are only 1,175 of us, who are now forced to cover larger areas and multiple schools spread across faraway regions. And all this, we are expected to do with a mere salary of Rs 2,000 a month, with no guarantee of job as we were appointed on contract basis,” said Umesh Shinde, a special educator from Ahmednagar who is on an indefinite hunger strike, with several others supporting him.
According to these teachers, they also spend a lot of money on traveling as they have to cover schools spread across faraway regions.
Sartaj Pathan, state head of association of special teachers, said, “My appointment is under the Wardha zilla parishad, and I have to cover two centres in a rural area — a distance of 74 km. There are 22 schools under one centre, and 13 under another one…”
The story is the same for almost all of them. Namdeo Bhalerao from Thane, a visually impaired person, has to cover 25 schools in Ulhasnagar, having 108 students. There are 11 sub-sections under the Ulhasnagar centre, with 1,126 students and only four special educators.
Demanding an increase in salary, the protesting teachers complained that even though they were appointed for primary sections only, they support all the children in the school — till Class 12. “Additionally, we have to keep renewing our registration with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), which requires us to complete 100 credits by attending different workshops held across the country, which add to our expenses,” said Pathan.
According to many protesting teachers, other states, meanwhile, have started absorbing them as regular teachers following a 2021 Supreme Court order in the regard. “But there has been no development in Maharashtra,” Shinde added.
Meanwhile, an official from MPSP, however, said that the protest violated the set rules as the appointment of these teachers were on a six-month contract basis and they were aware of the conditions at the time of appointment.
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