Two teachers were hurt during a protest by the Secondary Grade Seniority Teachers’ Association (SSTA) at Ezhilagam in Chennai on Monday, December 29, 2025. Police forcibly removed the crowd of over 1,000 teachers who have been protesting for four days. The teachers demand 'equal pay for equal work.' One teacher suffered a head injury, and another was hurt on her back and head when police pushed her to board a bus. Both were treated at the protest site. Traffic on Kamarajar Salai in Chepauk was blocked for about an hour as the teachers staged their protest. “"The protests will continue until our demand is met. We have been pushed to our last resort. We have waited and petitioned for 16 years to no avail,"” said a teacher from Karur. The protest highlights a long-standing pay gap. Secondary-grade teachers appointed before June 1, 2009, receive a basic pay of ₹8,370, while those appointed after that date get ₹5,200. Including allowances, post-2009 teachers earn about ₹40,000 monthly, compared to around ₹50,000 for earlier recruits. Because allowances are tied to basic pay, the gap grows wider over time. Teachers say this anomaly must be fixed. The pay gap has exceeded ₹10,000 and may grow further with the Eighth Pay Commission. Kaladevi B., a teacher from Kancheepuram appointed in July 2009, said, “"A difference of just two months in appointment has resulted in a pay gap of over ₹10,000 between her and those appointed before June 2009. We teach the same syllabus to the same children and perform the same duties, including clerical work. Yet, they are paid more while we are paid less. The government must rectify this,"” she added. Over 16 years, the government set up three committees to study this issue. The latest committee was formed in September 2025 after the SSTA announced a strike. Even after talks with the School Education Minister and officials, no solution has been found yet.