Teachers at UP madrasas set to intensify protest over unpaid salaries

Demanding their “pending salaries”, a number of modern teachers have been protesting at Lucknow’s Eco Garden since December 18 last year. After learning that the state government has stopped the “additional money” they relied on, the teachers on Wednesday decided to intensify their protest.

Under the Madrasa Modernisation Scheme, modern teachers who are graduates earn Rs 6,000 a month and those who are postgraduates are paid Rs 12,000. Instead of salaries, these teachers have been receiving the “additional money” — Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000 for graduate and postgraduate teachers respectively — that was announced by the state government in 2016 after allegations by the modern teachers that their salary disbursal was “irregular”.

There are over 21,000 modern teachers posted across 7,442 registered madrasas running across the state. Of these, around 8,000 belong to the Hindu community. They teach subjects such as Hindi, English, maths, science, and social science to nearly 10 lakh students. As many as 560 among the registered madrasas are government-aided.

Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Board chairman Iftikhar Ahmed Javed on Wednesday confirmed the government decision to scrap payment of “additional money” to modern teachers.

On January 8, J Reebha, director of the state government’s Minority Welfare & Waqf Department wrote to all district minority officers, informing them of the decision. Calls made by The Indian Express to Reebha’s phone on Wednesday went unanswered.

Iftikhar Ahmed Javed said, “After salaries were stopped, modern teachers continued teaching students at madrasas in the hope of getting their dues at the earliest. They were dependent on the “additional money” given by the state government. Now, these teachers are losing hope. It is likely that the concept of providing modern education to madrasa students itself might end soon.”

On Wednesday, Ahmed Javed wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting that the Madrasa Modernisation Scheme be “renewed” in the state and the country. He also requested the PM to release their pending dues.

Meanwhile, a protest by modern teachers under the banner of Madrasa Adhunikaran Shikshak Ekta Samiti (Madrasa Modernisation Teachers Union Association) has been ongoing since December 18 last year in Lucknow, in a bid to push for the release of their dues.

“We haven’t received salaries since 2017… some teachers have quit since. Those remaining resorted to taking up odd jobs such as vending, tailoring, driving rickshaws and farming to support their families. Five months ago, the state stopped giving the additional money too, said Ashraf Ali, president of the madrasa Adhunikaran Shikshak Ekta Samiti.

“Around 21,000 persons working as modern teachers are now jobless. There is no reason for them to go to madrasas now,” Ali said.

The protesting modern teachers have now decided to hold an “indefinite” agitation – till the government makes an announcement regarding “any potential help” for them. “We demand action. If the Centre won’t run the scheme, the state government should. And our dues must be paid,” added Ali.

Citing a 2016 government order, a senior official officer said on Wednesday that the “additional money” was to be given [by the state] only until the Centre continued the scheme, which ended in 2021-22.

The Madrasa Modernisation Scheme was started in 1993-94 by then the Human Resource Development Ministry, since renamed as the Ministry of Education, to provide education in Hindi, English, science, maths, social science and others in madrasas. A maximum of three modern teachers are appointed at one madrasa.

In April 2021, the scheme was shifted from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Minority Affairs.

Earlier called Scheme for Providing Quality Education in Madrasas (SPQEM), it is now named Scheme for Providing Education in Madrasas/Minorities (SPEMM). Under the scheme, the Centre and the state governments had in 2018 decided to split the salary in a 60:40 ratio. Before 2018, the salaries were paid entirely by the Centre. Modern teachers were appointed at madrasas by district minority officers on the recommendation of management committees.