Computer teachers in dire straits

HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, June 28: Over 500 computer teachers working in various government high schools and higher secondary schools in Assam are in dire straits now with meagre Rs 8000 consolidated pay per month at a time when the other teachers are given an attractive pay package by the government. These teachers were originally appointed under the Rajiv Gandhi Computer Literacy Programme in 2004 in 3500 schools in Assam. Later, the government dropped the programme and introduced Dr Banikanta Kakoty Computer Literacy Programme and appointed about 1500 teachers with four years of working experience and a university-recognised diploma under the earlier programme. The other teachers were appointed in 500 higher secondary schools under a new company ALPIERS. The newly appointed teachers’ salary was raised to Rs 14000 per month (vide letter no PMA(S)171/2011pt 1/353). But the rest of the computer teachers working under the ALPIERS have been struggling to meet their daily needs with their meagre salaries. These computer teachers through an appeal urged the chief minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma to make a single category of all computer teachers as they have been working as normal teachers in all schools and doing routine work other than teaching computers to students.