<p>Mangaluru: Over 2,500 Special educators demanding pay parity will stage a daylong dharna at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on January 28, former Mayor and Sanidhya Residential School and Training Centre President Mahabala Marla said on Thursday.</p><p>Karnataka State Association for Special Educators and Supportive staff General Secretary Vasanth Kumar Shetty told mediapersons at Patrika Bhavan that they were forced to stage a dharna as their six important demands including pay parity had not received any response from the government.</p><p>Vasanth charged that Karnataka was the only state in country to have adopted a dual policy for releasing funds to special schools. He informed that teachers serving in 34 special schools, receiving funds under Grant In Aid (GIA) schemes, get a monthly salary of Rs 60,000 to 80,000. </p>.‘Take steps to prevent closure of aided schools’: Basavaraj Horatti .<p>But teachers working in 165 special schools, receiving funds under Child Centric scheme (CCS), get a monthly `honorarium' of Rs 20,250. The honorarium was increased recently following an agitation, Vasanth recollected. Two meetings convened in Vidhan Soudha on directions of Speaker U T Khader, Minister for Women and Child Development Lakshmi Hebbalkar had recommended 40% hike in honorarium paid to special educators.</p><p>"But so far the recommendations had not been implemented," Vasanth lamented. The Supreme Court's order on setting up a three member committee and providing all facilities to special schools is yet to be implemented. Vasanth said the government releases funds to special schools in four installments. </p><p>"For the past four months, government has failed to release money forcing many special schools across the state to shut down," he said and added that government should release funds in two installments to ensure that special schools do not suffer any hardships. Vasanth also informed that government stops supporting a special child after it attains 25 years.</p><p>He said government which does not run even one special school for mentally challenged is unaware about the problems faced by those taking care of mentally challenged children. He said Mentally challenged children even after 40 years cannot do their work independently. Thus government must set up vocational training centres for special children above 25 years in each district.</p><p>Vinod Shenoy of Chethana Child Development Centre said Government had fixed a minimum number of 25 students for a special school to be eligible for grants. Roman and Catherine Lobo Residential School for the Visually Impaired in Mangaluru has not been receiving grants for past four years as the total student intake is less than government's ceiling on minimum number of students.</p>
<p>Mangaluru: Over 2,500 Special educators demanding pay parity will stage a daylong dharna at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on January 28, former Mayor and Sanidhya Residential School and Training Centre President Mahabala Marla said on Thursday.</p><p>Karnataka State Association for Special Educators and Supportive staff General Secretary Vasanth Kumar Shetty told mediapersons at Patrika Bhavan that they were forced to stage a dharna as their six important demands including pay parity had not received any response from the government.</p><p>Vasanth charged that Karnataka was the only state in country to have adopted a dual policy for releasing funds to special schools. He informed that teachers serving in 34 special schools, receiving funds under Grant In Aid (GIA) schemes, get a monthly salary of Rs 60,000 to 80,000. </p>.‘Take steps to prevent closure of aided schools’: Basavaraj Horatti .<p>But teachers working in 165 special schools, receiving funds under Child Centric scheme (CCS), get a monthly `honorarium' of Rs 20,250. The honorarium was increased recently following an agitation, Vasanth recollected. Two meetings convened in Vidhan Soudha on directions of Speaker U T Khader, Minister for Women and Child Development Lakshmi Hebbalkar had recommended 40% hike in honorarium paid to special educators.</p><p>"But so far the recommendations had not been implemented," Vasanth lamented. The Supreme Court's order on setting up a three member committee and providing all facilities to special schools is yet to be implemented. Vasanth said the government releases funds to special schools in four installments. </p><p>"For the past four months, government has failed to release money forcing many special schools across the state to shut down," he said and added that government should release funds in two installments to ensure that special schools do not suffer any hardships. Vasanth also informed that government stops supporting a special child after it attains 25 years.</p><p>He said government which does not run even one special school for mentally challenged is unaware about the problems faced by those taking care of mentally challenged children. He said Mentally challenged children even after 40 years cannot do their work independently. Thus government must set up vocational training centres for special children above 25 years in each district.</p><p>Vinod Shenoy of Chethana Child Development Centre said Government had fixed a minimum number of 25 students for a special school to be eligible for grants. Roman and Catherine Lobo Residential School for the Visually Impaired in Mangaluru has not been receiving grants for past four years as the total student intake is less than government's ceiling on minimum number of students.</p>
