On April 1, teachers get Re 1 raise for checking SSC, HSC exam papers

The announcement comes in the middle of the evaluation process for SSC and HSC papers. REPRESENTATION PIC

On April 1, also known as April Fool's Day, teachers taking part in the evaluation process for the SSC and HSC exams were treated to a pay raise that sounds like a prank.

A decade after repeated demands from teachers, the Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (MSBSHSE) finally increased their remuneration for checking answer sheets, by one whole rupee.

Insult to demands
"This raise in the remuneration is an insult to our demands. On the one hand, they are increasing our remuneration by one rupee, but they will charge us Rs 10 per mistake in [our] evaluation. That's unfair," expressed one teacher.

There has been no raise in the travelling allowance, which continues to remain at Rs 150. Teachers are unable to manage their trips to the centre in the given allowance.

Only 10 days
"State board gives just 10 days for any teacher to submit corrected papers, from the day they have dispatched the bundle. The bundle comes to us through a custodian which itself takes three days. After that we have to visit moderator to get model answer-sheets and other guidelines. I will get over 300 answer sheets, as many schools aren't registering their teachers. How am I supposed to complete the entire task in the remaining days?" questioned a frustrated teacher.

Boycott next year?
Vice President of Teachers Democratic Front (TDF), Rajesh Pandya, said, "Next year, if the board does not review the remuneration before the board exams, we will boycott the process. If they think a one-rupee increase is in accordance with the current rate of inflation, then all we can say is that the state board has played a prank on us on April Fools' Day." Gangadhar Mamhane, chairman, MSBSHSE remained unavailable for comment.