Special educators protest, seek regularisation

Tamil Nadu special educators demand job permanency and more employment due to low teacher-student ratio and inadequate pay.

Members of Tamil Nadu Samagra Shiksha Special Educators Association for Differently Abled Students (TNSSSEDAS) staged protest here on Saturday demanding job permanency and employment of more special educators.  

S. Sethuraman, State president, TNSSSEDAS, said that only 1,500 special educators were currently available for over 1.25 lakh differently abled students studying in government and government-aided institutions in the State.  

When both international rules and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 mandated that the teacher student ratio should be 1:10, the present ratio stood at 1:100, he noted.  

As the proportion of the number of teachers to students was very low, it would eventually affect the quality of education imparted to the differently abled students, Mr. Sethuraman said. 

While in some States like Manipur, under the Samagra Siksha Abhiyan scheme, 280 special educators were made permanent. 

Citing States like Manipur and West Bengal, Mr. Sethuraman said, “Tamil Nadu government which espouses inclusivity at all levels should take up the responsibility of making us permanent.” 

All special educators were already trained and registered under Rehabilitation of Council of India, a statutory body of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, so the criteria of clearing Teachers Eligibility Test (TET) would not be needed for them, he added.