The government can take action against para teachers of state-aided schools seated on footpaths adjacent to Bikash Bhavan demanding the pay scale of full-time teachers, education minister Partha Chatterjee said on Thursday.

Close to 5,000 para teachers have been on a protest since November 11.

“Don’t disrupt the studies of students. Don’t think about your demands only. Think about the future of students,” Chatterjee said. “The government has been tolerating your protest with lots of sympathy. Now, we won’t let you play with the future of students. We have reports on those who are protesting and those loitering around. The government will be strict on them, if required.”

The minister said he was open to talks. “They can come to me. Why do I have to go to their protest site? Several political leaders are misleading people by siding with them.”

An education department official said the district inspectors of schools would soon be asked to send a list of absentee para teachers. “We can stop the honorarium, if required,” he said.

Para teachers were appointed between 2007 and 2009 before the implementation of the right to education act, which says all children (6-14 years of age) are covered under the school education system.

The government implemented the act in 2013 but had recruited para teachers a few years earlier, expecting a jump in student count.

Last year, their salaries were hiked to Rs 10,000 at the primary and Rs 13,000 at the upper-primary level.

A full-time teacher’s starting salary is Rs 24,000 at the primary and Rs 34,000 at the upper-primary level. Para teachers have said they do the same duties as that of full-time teachers and their qualifications, too, are same.

Para teachers can work up to 60 years of age like that of regular teachers and they are provided a one-time ex gratia during retirement, the education department official said. “Earlier this year, the government had increased the ex gratia to Rs 3 lakh from Rs 1 lakh.”

Bhagirath Ghosh, one of the protesters, said: “The minister is trying to intimidate us into withdrawing the protest. Our protest will continue as our demand is legitimate.”