The Chennai police detained over a thousand government school teachers on October 5, who were staging a protest at the Directorate of Public Institutions for over a week, seeking a hike in their salaries.

Three teams of teachers were participating in the protest. The first group included part-time special teachers who demanded an increase in their consolidated pay and permanent positions. The second group asked for an increase in their basic pay, which was set way back in 2009.

The third group of teachers was advocating for an increase in the age limit for eligibility for the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) and requested that Government Order (GO) 149 be recalled regarding the TET exam.

Government Teachers Protest Over Pay Hike

On October 4, Education Minister Anbil Mahesh announced the consolidated pay for teachers would be increased from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 12,500. He said that a three-member committee would be formed to discuss the possibility of providing a permanent position to these teachers.

The age limit for eligibility to take the TET exam would be increased to 53 years for the general category and to 58 years for the scheduled category.

The teachers were dissatisfied with the minister’s response and staged a protest, refusing to leave the premises. Consequently, a police force had to be deployed to remove them from the venue and detain them at various community centres across Chennai city.

A  video showing teachers protesting with the above-mentioned demands was released, and the police were seen trying to talk to them. Later in the video, we see police subduing the protesters, removing them from the venue, and taking them for detention by police vans and buses.

It's distressing that on a day that was designated as World Teachers' Day, teachers had to demonstrate in the streets, demanding better pay for their hard work. Hopefully, teachers will receive the fair monetary compensation they deserve.

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