Special education teachers go on hunger strike demanding permanent appointments

Special education teachers in Mumbai are on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding permanent appointments and better working conditions. Since 2012, around 1,775 teachers have been appointed on contract in Maharashtra, but have not received a salary increase in seven years. The teachers are calling for the government to follow the stipulated student-teacher ratio and appoint more teachers for children with special needs. A teacher forum had previously filed a PIL in the Supreme Court, resulting in several states appointing these teachers on a permanent basis. Maharashtra, however, has not taken similar action.

Mumbai: Starting Teacher’s Day, special education teachers in regular schools and from those certified by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), went on an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in the city demanding permanent appointments.

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Since 2012, around 1,775 teachers, who are eligible to teach children with special needs, have been appointed on contract in Maharashtra.

Under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, education must be inclusive and a right for every child in the country. Under the concept of inclusive education, the central government had directed the state governments to appoint teachers for children with special needs in schools under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA).

Umesh Shinde, a special teacher from Ahmednagar district who is fasting at Azad Maidan, said, “These teachers, who work on a contract basis, have not received a salary increase of even one rupee in the last seven years. While these teachers have to teach on a salary of ₹20,000, the Maharashtra Primary Education Council (MPEC) cut their salary by ₹1,500 in 2017.”

As per the rules, the government should appoint one teacher for 10 students. “This appointment is not for schools meant for children with special needs but for government clustered schools, in a city or a village, where such children study. After our appointment, the officer assigned us a cluster of schools and we need to visit those schools every day,” said Umesh Shinde, another teacher.

While pointing out that the government is not following the stipulated student-teacher ratio, Harshada Nakshiwale, a teacher from Ulhasnagar, said, “In Ulhasnagar, there are 1,126 children registered as having special needs, and for this cluster, only four teachers are appointed. How will we travel from school to school and help students?”

As this is a nationwide issue, a teacher forum had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court. The court pronounced a judgment in July 2022 in favour of the teachers.

“After this decision, states such as Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, and West Bengal started appointing these teachers on a permanent basis. Why is a progressive state like Maharashtra not appointing these teachers?” asked Sartaj Pathan, a teacher.

MPEC officials were unavailable for comment.