Hike in salaries of assistant masters demanded

Mangalore, February 10: The Karnataka State High School Assistant Masters' Association has urged the state government to increase the salaries of assistant masters from the present Rs. 8,825-16,000 scale to the Rs. 10,800-20,025 scale.

The Association also urged the government to set the pay scale anomalies by complying with the recommendations of the Commissioner of Education Department based on Fifth Pay Commission.

Speaking to media persons at Press Club here on Thursday, Association Organising Secretary Manjunath Kumar KK said that despite repeated appeals to the government over the years, no effort has been done to do justice to the assistant masters.

In order to bring pressure on the government, the Association will hold a rally in Mangalore on February 19. The procession will begin at Jyothi circle at 2.30pm and culminate outside the DC office, where a memorandum will be submitted to the state government via Deputy Commissioner.

Manjunath also noted that the pay scale was lower for teachers in the state than in other states.

The Association also demanded that the government honour the Karnataka Administrative Tribunal's order and promote 75 per cent of high school teachers as headmasters and 50 per cent of headmasters as college lecturers.

The Association has also demanded medical allowance, special increment for teachers who have passed Kannada examinations, time-bound and recurring promotions for teachers from their respective dates of appointment and the removal of any discrepancies between the pay scales of junior and senior teachers.

It has also been sought that the Government consider the suspended period of SSLC evaluators as special leave, recruitment of teachers in aided high schools by withdrawing the economic measures imposed on these schools.

Teachers recruited under rural grace marks basis in 1998 and 1999 should be reinstated and all facilities given to them should be continued and their seniority should be taken into account, the Association demanded. It also underlined the need for the creation of a new post for Hindi inspectors.

The district unit President of the Association Ramakrishna Shirur, Stanley Tauro, Mangalore Urban Circle president, NS Madamaiah, city unit president, presidents of other units of the district were present at the press meet.