Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced regularisation of services of guest lecturers, part-time teachers and whole-time contractual college teachers, while at the same time coming down on the para-teachers and government employees for resorting to frequent agitation, pressing for their demands. She also made it clear that the service of the teachers would be ensured till 60 years, along with a gratuity hike for the teachers from Rs one lakh to Rs 3 lakh. "The state government would designate the guest lecturers, part-time teachers and whole-time teachers of colleges as State Aided College Teachers (SACT). They will be divided into two categories- those who meet UGC criteria would come under Category I, while those who do not meet the UGC criteria would come under Category II," Banerjee announced at the administrative review meeting of Howrah district at Sarat Sadan. In Category I, teachers with above 10 years of teaching experience would get Rs 30,000 per month and those with less than 10 years experience would be paid Rs 26,000. Under Category II, teachers with above 10 years experience would be paid Rs 20,000, while those with up to 10 years experience would be paid Rs 15,000. Presently, as per figures of the state Higher Education department, there are around 13,500 such teachers in colleges, who will come under the ambit of SACT. "There will be pay protection for the teachers who currently receive higher remunerations. The teachers will get a pay hike in remuneration at the rate of 3 percent every year. Earlier it was 3 percent in three years," Banerjee added. The Chief Minister made it clear that henceforth colleges cannot appoint any teacher without approval of the state Higher Education department and the teachers would have to take the number of classes as prescribed by the government. "During the Left Fronts tenure, the governing bodies of colleges had appointed these teachers with a paltry remuneration. These teachers had approached us and we have now decided to regularise them," said Partha Chatterjee, state Education minister. Banerjee also hit out at the para-teachers agitating over demand of wage hike. "These teachers recruited by the erstwhile Left Front government were getting only Rs 4,000 in 2012. We have increased it to Rs 8,000 in 2018. Now, within one year, they are demanding another hike. They are threatening to call a strike. I respect teachers but what kind of educators are they who refuse to attend classes by joining a strike?" she questioned. She also hit out at a section of government employees for their continuous demand for dearness allowance (DA). "Bengal is the only state in the country that provides pension. Tripura used to give pension but it has stopped now. The IPS and IAS officers dont get pension either. Even after paying Rs 56,000 crore as debt we provide 123 percent DA. Despite doing so much, the demands continue. Should we go on meeting their demands and stop services for common people?" she asserted. Banerjee said that DA will be given to the maximum extent possible, after receiving recommendations from the pay commission.

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