Stakeholders seek revised pay for special educators in government-recognised schools in Tamil Nadu

The Confederation of Associations for Persons with Mental Disabilities, alongside special educators and therapists, has put forth demands seeking a wage increase from ₹18,000 to ₹25,000 for educators in government-recognised special schools ahead of the Tamil Nadu State Legislative Assembly session on grants scheduled for June 20, 2024.

The demand seeks to align their pay with Rashtriya Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) special educators, who receive ₹25,000 per month. Currently, the state grant scheme covers only three teachers per recognised school, which cannot raise funds from private donors to sustain operations.

This contrasts with the reality that each school employs at least seven teachers, with some, like those in Madurai and Tiruppur, employing up to 69.

Under the SSA programme each special educator and therapist receives a gross salary. Their responsibilities include regular visits to assigned schools to monitor the progress of students with intellectual disabilities, as well as providing specialised assistance during home visits.

On the other hand, special educators in government-recognised schools are employed solely to provide care to the children under the school’s purview. Yet, due to funding limitations, many have felt discouraged from continuing operations in recent years. Currently, there are 299 such schools operating in the State.

Administrative duties

“The teachers are paid by the District Differently-Abled Officer (DDWAO) from school grants. However, they are also deployed for duties like assessment camps, UDID card processing, and maintaining beneficiary registers. This significantly disrupts educational and therapeutic support for special needs children, who struggle without their teachers,” said M. Ravichandran, state general secretary of the Confederation.

J. Shanmathi, a retired special educator from Coimbatore, said that teachers often had to attend Aadhaar camps, leaving only two staff to manage over 12 intellectually disabled students. “This affected the children and overburdened the remaining faculty,” she added.

However, G. Jagadeesan, the DDWAO in Coimbatore, denied assigning such duties. “So far, we have not deployed any teacher for non-teaching assignments. Their salaries are disbursed by the department without any additional responsibilities,” he said.

Proposing solutions, the Confederation has advocated for a salary increase and an end to using teachers for administrative tasks. They also emphasise streamlining grant distribution directly from the Directorate to government-recognised NGOs or schools.

In response to the demands, a senior official from the Directorate mentioned that the grants were revised a few years ago and acknowledged the new demands. “We are currently in discussions with stakeholders and will decide accordingly based on their needs,” the official said.