Minister of State (MoS) for School Education, Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar has assured that concrete steps will be taken to address concerns surrounding the potential reduction of teaching posts in upper primary schools. The assurance was made during a meeting with representatives of the Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Committee held on Monday.
The meeting came in the wake of strong opposition to a government decision that no teachers would be allocated to upper primary classes with 20 or fewer students. The Maharashtra State Primary Teachers’ Committee, under the leadership of its state president Vijay Kombe, raised serious objections to this policy, warning that it could severely impact the quality of education delivered to students.
Although the government had responded to the committee’s protest notice—scheduled for 17 March this year—by issuing a letter on 10 March permitting the appointment of one teacher per such class, the committee rejected this as an inadequate compromise and demanded complete withdrawal of the decision.
The committee took the opportunity to also present a series of related demands during the meeting, including scrapping the “Shikshan Sevak” (Education Servant) positions, reducing the probation period for new appointees via the Pavitra Portal, and increasing their honorarium. Teachers also requested the waiver of compulsory residence requirements in rural postings until government accommodation is provided.
Equity in pay emerged as a key concern, with demands that all graduate subject teachers receive the appropriate graduate pay scale. The committee pointed out irregularities in pay fixation under the Seventh Pay Commission and urged corrective action via the Pay Anomaly Committee.
Other demands included recognising service tenure from the original appointment date for teachers in remote areas, extending 100% salary grants to municipal and corporation school teachers, and integrating them into the state’s “Shalarth” salary system. Teachers also sought relief from non-teaching duties—such as online data entries and administrative tasks—so they could focus on education delivery.
Following listening to these concerns, Dr. Bhoyar responded positively, directing the Primary Education Officer, Dr. Neetu Gawande, to act swiftly on several key matters, including teacher promotions, pay scale implementations, pension approvals for teachers appointed before November 2005, and pending income tax issues in certain Panchayat Samitis.
