The State government has issued orders sanctioning the salary scale for teachers who got temporary promotion as head teachers in government lower and upper primary schools in the State.
The salary scale has been allowed on the basis of an interim order of the Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) in a case before the tribunal.
The government had allowed temporary promotion as head teachers since cases related to the promotion had been filed in various courts. However, the salary of headmasters had not been fixed. Some teachers had retired without their pay scale being upgraded.
The issue was the requirement to clear department-level tests for becoming head teachers in primary schools as per Rule 18 (1) of the Kerala Rights of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011.
The government had brought in an amendment to the rules in January 2021 to allow those aged above 50 to be promoted without clearing the test but it was challenged in court.
With over 1,000 primary schools lacking head teachers and their functioning affected, the government approached the Kerala High Court. On its basis, subject to the final verdict of KAT, a number of teachers, both who had qualified the department-level tests and those who had not, were temporarily promoted as head teachers based on the seniority criterion, with a condition that they would not get any benefits or rights. This continued for two years.
The KAT, in an interim order on June 21, had allowed those who had got temporary promotion as head teachers the benefits of the post from the date they were appointed as headmasters. However, when this was not implemented, the KAT earlier this month sought an explanation from the government. In this wake, the Director of General Education issued orders fixing their pay and allowing arrears too.
The Kerala School Teachers’ Association and the Kerala Pradesh School Teachers’ Association welcomed the government order.
