New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday requested Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' to extend financial support for salary payment of contractual teachers employed under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan till March 31.

Sisodia in a letter to the Union minister said the support can be extended on the existing cost sharing basis between the Union and Delhi governments.

"I would like to draw your attention towards 2,766 teachers serving as contract teachers under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan in Delhi. Among them, while 1,673 serve in the schools run by the Directorate of Education, 1,093 serve in the schools run by East and South Delhi Municipal Corporations," Sisodia said.

"Against the annual work plan and budget for the year 2020-21 proposed by the Delhi government in its meeting with the officials of the Ministry of Education in May last year, the salary of contract teachers was approved for only 6 months," he added.

Sisodia, who is also the education minister of Delhi, said all of these contract teachers are Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) qualified and till now they were actively engaged in supporting the semi-online teaching, learning activities of students from their respective schools.

"Their 6 month service period completed on January 19, 2021. I urge you to kindly extend the financial support to these teachers till at least March 31, 2021 on the existing cost sharing basis between Union and Delhi Government," he said.

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