Without salary for 8 months, say teachers

Karam Prakash

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 11

Accusing the Education Department of adopting pressure tactics, teachers working under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) said they had not received their salaries for the past eight months.  

The teachers added that they had not received the salaries following their last year’s protest against regularisation of their services at a monthly salary of Rs 15, 300.

They said the teachers, who had opted for regularisation on government terms, had been getting salaries on time from the funds released by the Central Government. But the protesting teachers were not getting their salaries, they said. 

Vikram Dev, a leader of the Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha, said, “The government is resorting to arm-twisting tactics by not paying the salaries to the protesting teachers. Its entire motive is to force them accept its offer of regularisation of services at Rs 15,300. The Education Secretary has asked the SSA project director not to pay salaries until they opt for the regularisation offer.”

The teachers said the funds released by the Ministry of Human Resource Department (MHRD) had already been received by the state Education Department, but these were being used by the Punjab Government for its own need.

They added that employees, working in other departments of the Punjab Government, were getting their salaries regularly, but their salaries had been stopped for the past eight months. 

Teachers, sans salaries, have started taking leaves to do menial jobs to make their ends meet.

Gagan Ranu, a teacher of Government High School, Karhali, said they had been facing a tough time these days. “Everything seems to be in disarray. I am a married person and how can I make both ends meet without my salary? The government should look into the matter more sympathetically,” he added.

However, officials said they had not received funds from the Central Government, but they had asked the Punjab Government to provide salaries.

Official Spokesperson for the Education Department Rajinder Singh said, “We have not received funds from the Central Government. But, whatever funds we received were used. All allegations are baseless as we have no role to play. If they want to get salaries on a regular basis, they should opt for regularisation.”