Belagavi : Muzrai Minister T B Jayachandra informed the Legislative Council on Thursday that the Muzrai Department was in talks with the Education Department for handing over the schools run by the temples under the department in Dakshin Kannada and Udupi districts.

K Pratapchandra Shetty (Congress) said that the teachers working in schools run by temples under Muzrai Department were paid meager salaries and there was disparity in payments when compared to the teachers in government schools.

Jayachandra said that six aided and 12 unaided schools were run by the temples under the Muzrai Department after getting due permissions from the Education Department. Teachers were paid low wages, hence the department has been involved in talks to handover the schools to Education Department.

Salaries if had to be given on par with government teachers, they would require Rs 3 crore and the temples do not have the strength.

Education Department along with the schools has also been demanding the lands and cabinet approval has to be taken to handover the lands, he said.

V S Ugrappa (Congress) said, as the temples belonged to Muzrai Department, government administration was presumed in all schools.

Supreme Court judgment of equal work, equal pay applies for them.