Kolkata, February 10 Para-teachers in West Bengal staged a five-hour sit-in on Tuesday, demanding a pay hike, and clashed with police personnel during the protest near the state education department headquarters here.
Around 500 members of the 'Sangrami Sikshak Mancha', a platform of para-teachers in the state, organized a march from Karunamoyee in the Salt Lake area and were prevented from proceeding towards the Bikash Bhavan, the state education department headquarters.
The protesting para-teachers were seen confronting the police personnel and then sitting on the road, demanding a meeting with State Education Minister Bratya Basu, but were told that the minister was unwell.
A six-member delegation of the platform later went to Bikash Bhavan to meet Education Secretary Binod Kumar to discuss their demands, while the others continued to sit on the road. After approximately five hours, they dispersed.
"During the meeting, apart from increasing our wages and PF, we also demanded relief from election and SIR duties. If we are not considered as regular state government employees, why should we be burdened with election duties similar to those assigned to state government teachers and other employees," said a member of the delegation.
He added that para-teachers were being paid between Rs 9,000 and Rs 10,000 per month.
"We demand that this be increased to at least Rs 15,000. The Rs 1,000 increase in the state's provisional budget is insufficient."
There are over 50,000 para-teachers in the state, working in over 67,000 primary and upper primary schools.