Teachers get only promises, no pay

Bihar is not the only place where you have to wait endlessly for your pay cheques. Today, most teachers in Maharashtra have awaited their pay cheques. In Mumbai, university and college teachers are struggling to make ends meet. Moreover, a July Government Resolution says teachers will only be recruited on contract, with their consolidated salaries slashed.

The Maharashtra State Teachers and Employees Union for Handicapped observed September 5 as a black day. They also plan not to teach in protest on September 16. Prabhu Ajgaonkar, 40, who stays in Dahisar and has been teaching for the past 20 years in a school for hearing-impaired children, says: ‘‘We have not received salaries for two months. Last year, we went without pay for four months until we gheraoed the social welfare officer . The arrears after revision of pay scales under the 5th Pay Commission are yet to be paid. I took a loan for my new house and took another one to pay it off.’’

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The problem extends to the non-teaching staff in special schools as well. Social Welfare Officer Deepak Ghate says: ‘‘We paid the arrears to schools who sent their bills on time. Also, no grant for salaries has been released by the government for two months.’’

Asked whether he was aware that teachers and employees had not received their salaries, Minister for Higher and Technical Education Dilip Valse Patil contends, ‘‘It’s a day to day thing. I may not know at this point of time. Check with the joint director.’’

A.D. Sawant, Joint Director of Higher Education, Mumbai, says: ‘‘Non-teaching staff have been paid for May and June. Salaries are pending for both teaching and non-teaching staff only for two months. Compared to the general situation, it is better.’’