On Tuesday, members of the Tamil Nadu Elementary Teachers Organisations-Joint Action Committee (TETO-JAC) organized statewide protests across various districts, pressing the Tamil Nadu government and the School Education Department to address their longstanding demands and ensure they receive the benefits they are entitled to.
The teachers are calling for significant changes, including the implementation of the old pension scheme, correction of salaries for Secondary Grade Teachers (SGTs), reinstatement of leave policies, and equitable benefits for students in government-aided schools. The demands also include halting the Ennum Ezhuthum scheme, which is perceived to be unfairly impacting government-aided school students.
Despite assurances from the School Education Department and the formation of a committee to review these issues, TETO-JAC members argue that the government has largely ignored their 31 demands, affecting over one lakh teachers due to ongoing policies.
The protestors have warned that if their requests are not met, they will escalate their actions with a three-day protest in Chennai on September 29, 30, and October 1.
In response to the protests, the department agreed on September 7 to address some of the issues, including the hiring of 6,000 administrators to manage data updates on the Educational Management Information System (EMIS) portal.