The state government on Wednesday submitted before the Kerala High Court that it has been considering the proposal for restructuring pre-primary education sector.
“Before bringing the proposal for Cabinet council’s approval, several matters, including the selection process, qualification of staff, financial commitment and details of existing primary teachers have to be examined in detail,” General Education Department submitted.
State made the submission on a petition filed by the Kerala Pre-primary Teachers’ and Ayahs’ Association secretary T Vimala against a single Judge’s order rejecting the association’s plea to hike salary.
A Division Bench comprising Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice B P Ray allowed the petition and asked the state to grant a monthly salary of `5,000 to pre-primary teachers in schools attached to government schools and `3,500 for ayahs as an interim measure until a final decision is taken by the state. The revised payment should be given from August onwards, the court held.
The court observed that part-time sweepers were paid `6,000 and above per month, while class IV employees, whose education is eighth standard were paid `10,000 to `12,000 per month. However, the minimum wages fixed for pre-primary school teachers (PPST) in unaided schools in 2010 was as much as `2,500. So a monthly salary of `5,000 for a PPST, who passed SSLC and has undergone the compulsory pre-primary school training will not be high. Probably, it would be the minimum, which is a little over `160 per day which is the daily wage paid to labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The court also observed that the work done by a PPST is no less noble or tiresome than the work of primary school teachers who are earning `15,000 a month. The court had directed the state to consider increasing the salary of teachers and ayahs employed in government pre-primary schools to `5,000 from `900 and to ` 3,500 from `600 respectively. The state also agreed the suggestion and submitted that Finance Department has to give clearance in this regard.
The court had also said that it is essential to restructure the entire school system. The court had observed that the pre-school education is part of elementary education which should be provided by the state government free of cost to children from economically weaker sections.
However, the state government said that the proposal for including the pre-primary education under Right to Education Act is under the active consideration of the Central government
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