Kanthi Harish, president, Karnataka State Special Teachers and Non-teaching Staff Association speaking to reporters in Udupi on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Karnataka State Special Teachers and Non-teaching Staff Association said on Saturday that it will stage a dharna at Freedom Park in Bengaluru on Wednesday, seeking grant-in-aid to all 180 special schools in the State for pay parity among special school teachers.
Addressing press persons in Udupi, State president of the association Kanthi Harish said that under Child-Centric (CC) scheme, the grant-in-aid paid to special schools is meagre and managements of the schools are unable to pay adequate salary to teachers. The 1982 Grant-in-Aid Code in the State provides better financial assistance and the same should be applied to all special schools in the State. Currently, only 32 schools in the State have obtained the 1982 grant in aid code, she said.
Hence, teachers at special schools are upset over the discrimination in the salary being paid to them when compared to regular school teachers, she said.
Ms. Harish, who is also the founder of Vijetha Residential Special School, Karkala, said that teachers at special schools have several obligations including obtaining Continuing Rehabilitation Education (CRE) credits as mandated by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). For every seven years, 100 CRE points have to be earned by the teachers for which they have to undergo training sessions. Wading through every challenge, teachers at special schools are working with a service mindset. But they too need to be compensated by ensuring pay parity.
Karnataka Legislative Assembly Speaker U. T. Khader chaired two meetings to discuss the matter, after which the Director of the Department for the Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens had sent a proposal to State government to increase the grant amount to special schools by 40%. But it has not yet become a reality, she said.
The grant to special schools should be released in two instalments, in June and October. Then, managements of special schools will not face the financial burden to pay the salaries of staff, she said.
The association has been demanding for pay parity of teachers and non-teaching staff in special schools since 2007 but to no avail, she said.
Published – January 24, 2026 08:24 pm IST
