The para-teachers of Jharkhand agitating from the past few years for regularisation of their service and proper pay scale are hopeful that the Hemant Soren Government will fulfill its promises. Notably, HRD minister Jagarnath Mahto, who from the last eight months was under treatment for Covid 19 and lung transplant; has finally returned to Ranchi.

On the advice of chief minister Hemant Soren; the HRD is working from his home and sources in the department said that he is now going through the records and proceedings related to demands of para teachers.

Notably, from the past couple of months four women legislators of the Congress led by Mahagama MLA Dipika Pandey Singh have been regularly speaking and pressurizing the government for para teachers. “That much I can assure para teachers that their demands will be fulfilled because the chief minister is very serious about this. Youths want employment and we have been requesting the government to generate employment opportunity and fill-up vacant posts in the government departments,” said Pandey.

 Sanjay Dubey of Ekikrit Para Shikshak Sangharsh Morcha too sounded optimistic.

“We are hopeful to get justice from the Hemant Soren government. In June last year, a joint meeting had taken place where the government had broadly agreed on some points. But nothing happened after that,” said

However, last year Minister Mahto had scheduled to hold the next meeting on September 28 but on the day of the meeting his health suddenly deteriorated after which he was flown to Chennai for further treatment.  Chief Minister Hemant Soren had to take charge of the education department.

In the June meeting the government had agreed Rs 5200—Rs20000 as the basic pay band for such para teachers who have passed Teachers’ Eligibility Test’ (TET). But, the number of such teachers is not more than 12000 whereas there are around 6,50,000 para teachers across 24 districts of Jharkhand. The law department as well as the office of the Advocate General of Jharkhand had opined that remaining teachers must also possess TET certificate to avail benefit of revised pay band. Besides, the para teachers’ welfare fund was also to be set-up.

But due to the prevailing condition of Covid 19 there was no follow-up of the June meeting. However, the minister has assured that the government will fulfill its commitments towards para teachers. He said that he will review the progress made during the last eight months.

Para teachers are the part of the centrally sponsored Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) and their appointments are done on contractual basis as supporting teaching staff for primary and middle schools.

Para teachers are broadly divided in three categories: trained para teachers possessing Teachers’ Eligibility Test certificate, trained and untrained. Their monthly honorarium structure differs according to their qualification and the honorarium was revised in the past also. In the previous government headed by Raghubar Das; para teachers had carried massive agitation and they had actively opposed the BJP during the 2019 assembly election.