Kerala’s 300 special schools are in dire straits with teachers quitting en masse, miffed by the poor pay.
While the pandemic had badly affected the functioning of special schools, the latest blow has been dealt by the State government by allotting less than half of the ₹95-crore package promised for the 2021-22 period.
“The meagre amount was enough to pay just five months’ salary, and that too for just one-fourth of the total staff. While special school teachers are entitled to a sanctioned pay of ₹32,290, in reality they are paid in the region of ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 a month, with the dues being usually cleared by managements when the government package is received,” said Roy Mather Vadakkel, chairman, Association for Intellectually Disabled (AID).
It was the dismal pay that forced Sudha (name changed) to quit her job at a reputed special school in Ernakulam district after a decade-long service in favour of a contract job as a special instructor in a general school. “The last salary I drew when I quit in 2020 was ₹7,500, and I could bet not many special school teachers received more than ₹10,000 during that period,” she said.
K.M. George, State president of Parents’ Association for Intellectually Disabled Kerala (PAID Kerala), said the teachers could not be blamed for quitting in the face of continued neglect. The managements too could not be blamed for not properly paying teachers, as they hardly had the financial capacity, he added.
AID alleged that the “unscientific grading” of special schools, supposedly based on the number of students, infrastructure, and related facilities, had added to their woes. Schools with more than 100 students are categorised as ‘A’, over 50 students as category ‘B,’ more than 25 students as category ‘C’, and less than 25 students as category ‘D.’ Schools in these categories are sanctioned a staff strength of 12, six, three, and two respectively.
“No school has earned the ‘A’ category, whereas 225 schools have been categorised as ‘D’, 76 schools as ‘C’ and 15 schools as ‘B’. The arbitrary categorisation ignoring the number of students has skewed the operations,” said Mr. Vadakkel.
School authorities and parents are now pinning their hopes on a meeting convened by the Social Justice Minister in Thiruvananthapuram on August 3. If talks fail, they plan to hit the protest path, it is learnt.
