Jharkhand education minister Jagarnath Mahato on Saturday assured para-teachers that their demands for regularisation of service and proper payscale will be addressed soon.

After holding a meeting with a delegation of para-teachers at his official residence in Ranchi on Saturday, Mahato told the media: “It has been decided in today’s meeting that the problems of para-teachers would be addressed and solved in the same manner as it was done in Bihar.”

During the meeting, the para-teachers demanded that their service be regularised in the same way the Bihar government did it for their Siksha Mitras and Mahato agreed.

“Once that is done and our services are regularised, we shall get a monthly salary beginning from about Rs 25,000,” said Hrishikesh Pathak, a para-teacher leader who attended the meeting.

“It was a fruitful meeting held in a friendly atmosphere and we have made significant progress,” the minister said, adding that the final decision on pay scale would be taken in another meeting on August 18.

“The norms have now been decided and we will finalise the payscale on August 18,” Mahato further said, adding that he would work out the details with senior departmental officials.

“In Bihar, these teachers were asked to clear an evaluation test in three chances,” said Santu Singh, a para-teacher who was present at the meeting, adding that the Bihar teachers were also given payscales according to their qualifications.

The meeting was also attended by school education secretary Rajesh Sharma and primary education director Shailesh Chourasia.

The government had engaged the para-teachers in 2000 for schools that faced an acute shortage of teachers by paying a fixed monthly remuneration.

At present, around 65,000 para-teachers are working on a monthly remuneration ranging between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000, depending on their qualifications.