With a mind to reach a decisive stand on the issue of their regularization and increase in wage of around 65,000 para teachers working at Government schools, the State Education Minister Neera Yadav on Thursday convened a meeting with the delegation of teachers.

The meeting, which was held at Yadav’s office, the minister asked the teachers to submit a charter of demands ‘some of which’ will be included in the proposed service rules soon to be framed by the Government.

The delegation comprised teachers under the banner of Ekikrit Para Sikshak Sangharsh Morcha (EPSSM).

EPSSM member and a para teacher, Vikrant Jyoti said, “The meeting with education minister was fruitful as she said the Government is much interested in framing the service rules of para teachers. She demanded us to submit a charter of demands which will be included in the proposed service rules.”

The demands of para teachers includes, absorption of Teachers Eligibility Teachers (TET) passed para teachers as government teachers. The teachers absorbed as Government teachers will get salaries at par with government teachers and they will also get same service benefits as Government teachers.

For teachers who have not qualified TET examination, the EPSSM has demanded a pay scale of Rs 5,200–Rs 20,200 one the lines of contractual teachers in Bihar. The agitating teachers who were sitting on dharna at Morhabadi ground in support of their demands, after Thursday meeting called off their strike.

Education minister Neera Yadav said, “The Government has accepted most of the demands of para teachers in past and in this connection the Government has asked the delegation to submit a proposal for salary regularization and increase in wage.”

Sources in education department said that once the charter of demands is submitted by para teachers, they will look into the feasibility of accepting the proposals followed by which in consultation with finance and law departments, the Government will take a final decision.

Sources said that the Government is much interested to a take a decision in salary hike of teachers before year-end Assembly election as the 65,000 para teachers can influence election.

Over 50,000 teachers from across the State went on strike from November 16 last year in support of their demand. The strike, which had impacted classes in about 35,000 schools, had come to an end after 63-day on January 3 this year after Government deciding to increase remuneration of para-teachers up to Rs 4,800 and study regularisation system of other States.

Thereafter, State education department set up a committee to review the possibility of para-teachers’ regularisation and pay scale fixation. Separate teams were sent to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and West Bengal for the study. However, no decision was taken with respect to regularization of salaries or hike in their salaries.

Last month the teachers once again went on strike in support of their demands which included regularization and wage fixation. Sources said that the para teachers delegation in the evening submitted their proposal to education Minister.