The minimum monthly salary of part-time, whole-time contractual and guest teachers working for more than 10 years in state-aided colleges will be Rs 30,000 if they fulfil educational qualifications set by the University Grants Commission (UGC), chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

Those who are working for less than 10 years but have the requisite qualifications will be offered Rs 26,000 a month.

Teachers who don’t have the required qualifications but have worked for more than 10 years will get Rs 20,000. Those with less than 10 years’ experience will get Rs 15,000.

Teachers whose salaries are already higher than the revised minimum salary will be given proper pay protection.

Mamata made the announcements at an administrative meeting of the government at Sarat Sadan auditorium in Howrah on Monday.

She also announced that the gratuity of these teachers payable at the time of retirement would be enhanced from Rs one lakh to Rs three lakh.

She said these three categories of teachers would from now on have only one designation. They will be known as state-aided college teachers.

The revised salary structure will enable the teachers to avail of bank and other loans, the teachers said.

However, the teachers will have to take as many classes as recommended in the rules of the state government.

After the salary enhancement, the colleges will not be allowed to recruit teachers under this category without the government approval.

However, at the same meeting Mamata described the uniform pay scale demand of para teachers working in state-aided schools as “illogical.” The para teachers have started a state-wide movement from last Friday demanding salaries on a par with full-time teachers.

“I respect all teachers. But they should not resort to movement and sit on the streets wearing black badges in this way,” she said.