Edu dept to revise salaries, issue appointment orders to spl educators

CHENNAI: Accepting the demands of special educators catering to differently-abled students in government and government-aided schools of Tamil Nadu, the School Education Department has agreed to hike the salaries of educators by Rs 5,000 per month.

Additionally, these educators who are yet to be given appointment orders from the department, will soon be facilitated with the same.

Over 1,600 special educators have been teaching and facilitating nearly 1.30 lakh differently-abled students in government and government-aided schools of the State.

Besides teaching, these educators are also responsible to facilitate students with necessary aids, scholarships, monthly maintenance grants and therapy sessions to students.

According to the department, each educator is allotted anywhere between 26 to 40 schools in each block, handling a maximum 140 differently-abled students. Despite having worked for years, these educators are earning only a meagre salary of Rs 20,000 per month that too without getting an appointment order.

Hence, the educators who staged a protest recently demanded job regularisation, salary hike and appointment order.

Hence, accepting their demands, the minister of school education Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi told media persons, "From the upcoming 2023-24 academic year, the salaries of these educators will be made Rs 25,000 per month. Additionally, arrangements will be made to provide them with a consolidated appointment order."

Besides this the minister said that the job of these educators is very vital in schools and he has learnt of the difficulties while inspecting a few schools in Trichy.

"I have observed these educators put their best in educating and facilitating these educators. Hence, we will soon discuss on regularising them. And to reduce the burden, we will also appoint 400 more posts in TN schools in the coming year," added the minister.

Speaking to DT NEXT, K Ganapathi, TN treasury for Samagra Shiksha Special Educator Association for Differently-abled Students' (TNSSSEADAS) said, "We are glad that the department and minister responded to accept our demands swiftly. Also, we welcome the department's decision to not transfer the educators outside any districts and keep the transfers only intra-district."