Leaders of the Municipal Teachers’ Federation (MTF) complain that their problems have increased in the last eight months, ever since the supervision and administration of the municipal schools was taken over by the Department of School Education.

G.O. 84, issued on June 24, 2022, said that the decision was based on a representation made by certain Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) who felt that the supervision and administration of municipal schools should be given to the Education Department, as the municipal schools had not been on a par with other institutions for want of supervisory mechanism.

Finding fault with the G.O., the MTF leaders argue that their plight has worsened after the takeover.

“G.O. 84 is detrimental to the interests of 14,000 municipal teachers across the State and 4.5 lakh students, mostly drawn from urban slum habitations. We urge the authorities concerned to scrap the orders immediately,” said State president of MTF S. Ramakrishna.

He blamed the nine MLCs from teachers’ constituencies, who approved of the shift of power from one department to the other by assuring the municipal teachers that this would result in better pay and facilities to them on a par with the government teachers, for their hardships.

Mr. Ramakrishna said besides being deprived of promotions and transfers, municipal teachers had not received their increments for the last eight months.

Non-teaching staff

After the takeover of their schools by the School Education Department, all the non-teaching staff, including clerks, attenders, sweepers and even night watchmen had been called back to their parent department, the Municipal Administration wing, leaving headmasters and teachers to double up as clerks and attenders, he said.

The G.O. pointed out that the 2,114 municipal schools in the State existed only in 59 of the total 123 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs.

Prior to 2000, the service conditions of the municipal schools, including recruitment of teachers, was taken care of by the ULBs but later, the District Selection Committee (DSC) carried out the recruitment task.

The G.O. said though the supervision and administration was being transferred to the School Education wing, there would be no change with regard to the promotional avenues and seniority of the municipal teachers and that they would be given all benefits that are given to government school teachers.