State of Shikshak Sevaks as bad as bonded labour: HC

Mumbai, Sep 5 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today directed the state government to submit by Monday the details about the outlay for the education sector and the number of ''Shikshan Sevaks'' in the state.

A division bench, comprising justices Dr S Radhakrishnan and V M Kanade, today heard a petition seeking redressal for ''Shiksan Sevaks''.

The petitioner, Ramesh Patil, told the court that teachers appointed under the state government's ''Shikshak Sevak scheme, were paid meagre salaries -- Rs 3000 for primary teachers, Rs 4000 for secondary teachers and Rs 5000 for higher-secondary teachers.

Also, there was no job security as the services of the teachers could be terminated after the expiry of their one-year contract.

The court, while passing the directions, observed that the salaries of Shiskhak Sevaks are ''even lower than those of peons'' and the situation was as bad as ''bonded labour''.

The petitioner also contended that the scheme, incepted in the year 2000, considered only the degrees of D.Ed, B.Ed and M.Ed for appointing teachers. Regular procedure for appointment on pay-roll of the institution includes a written test. The case will come up for further hearing on September 11.

UNI ARM-XR MAZ SBA HT2224