Calcutta, July 4: The state government will appeal to the Supreme Court to vacate a Calcutta High Court stay on recruitment of para-teachers.

School education minister Kanti Biswas disclosed the decision in the Assembly today while answering a question of Trinamul Congress MLA Sonali Guha.

The legislator had asked the minister why para-teachers were being paid Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 a month when all other states were paying at least Rs 4,000. She also enquired whether there is any specific guideline from the Centre on fixing the salaries.

“The Centre has no say in fixing salaries of para-teachers,” Biswas said, adding the state government had the discretion to do so.

The minister admitted that there is a shortage of teachers in state-aided primary and secondary schools. “We need more teachers but we will be able to recruit para-teachers only after the present stay order is vacated.”

The government stopped recruiting para-teachers in the wake of the high court’s order a few months ago.

The recruitment of para-teachers at paltry salaries was opposed by teachers’ bodies because, according to government policy, these teachers are required to have the same educational qualifications as teachers recruited in permanent posts in state-aided schools.

The permanent teachers get salaries according to government pay-scales ? Rs 8,000 to Rs 15,000 a month.

The teachers’ bodies also questioned why managing committees of the respective schools were empowered to make recruitment of para-teachers and petitioned the high court demanding withdrawal of the system.

They argued it was “illegal” to ask the managing committees to recruit because the government recruits teachers for secondary schools through the state School Service Commission.

“How can the government follow two policies simultaneously for recruiting teachers? We are going to fight till the government withdraws the decision,” Ratan Laskar, general secretary, Secondary Teachers’ and Employees’ Association said.