Government pays guest teachers as low as Rs 7,500 a month

Guest teachers working in government schools are paid as low as Rs 7,500 a month. And the Finance Department doesn’t seem to care.

This is despite the fact that most government-run schools depend a great deal on guest teachers.

In the upcoming academic year (2022-23), the department of public instruction (DPI) plans to hire more than 27,000 guest teachers.

Most guest teachers are needed in Raichur at 1,833, followed by Kalaburagi 1,743, Yadgir 1,623, Chikkodi 1,355 and Vijayapura 1,157.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister B C Nagesh has been trying without luck to increase the honorarium paid to guest teachers.

The finance department has already turned down his request to increase the honorarium.

But the minister hasn’t given up and sent one more proposal, said a source in the department of primary and secondary education.

Guest teachers at government schools have been hoping for better wages after the department of higher education raised the honorarium for guest lectures at government first-grade colleges.

The guest lecturers’ honorarium has been raised from Rs 13,000 to Rs 32,000 based on their experience and qualifications as prescribed by University Grants Commission.

A proposal on raising the guest teachers’ honorarium has been turned down at least twice by the finance department, said a senior official in the DPI.

A guest teacher from Chikkaballapur district said: “The honorarium paid by the government is not enough even for our transport and food expenses. Even daily wage workers earn more.”

Another teacher said: “The government needs us, but does not want to give us decent pay. I worked for three years, but looking at the poor pay, I decided not to apply this year. I can earn twice as much by tutoring students at home.”