Kerala: School teachers protest dismissal over govt's redetermination of eligibility

Thiruvananthapuram: As many as 67 higher secondary teachers who were dismissed despite being appointed after passing the Public Service Commission (PSC) examination, staged a protest on Sunday. The junior English teachers who worked for more than one and a half years were dismissed due to the re-determination of posts. 

According to the education department, seniority will be taken into consideration when making appointments as soon as vacancies arise. However, teachers are really concerned. It is usual for people to leave their previous government jobs in search of a higher-paying position in higher secondary education. The state government fired them all together after 1.5 years on the grounds that there was no opening. 

As per the notification from 2017, those who scored the highest in the 2018 exam and received permanent appointments in 2021 from the 2019 rank list started their jobs in the education department's unusual order. They were dismissed on the 31st of last month. 

To demand justice, the teachers were compelled to go on a begging strike in front of the secretariat on Easter. The number of lessons that senior teachers must attend each week has been increased from 24 to 25 as part of the post-revaluation process. As a result, juniors are only required to attend six as compared to seven classes. This is the reason why 67 teachers became a burden to the education department. The teachers who had been on duty for the +1 and +2 exams also protested to demand their jobs back.

The teachers demanded that they want the same employment protection in government schools that they receive in comparable circumstances in aided schools. They also asserted that it is nonsensical to publish a fresh rank list for the position of Higher Secondary Junior English teacher after firing the incumbents. 

The Education Department responded that the redeployment of teachers will be implemented with the approval of the cabinet.