‘Mumbai teachers’ salaries today match those in corporate world’
Teaching is no longer a humble profession with those from Mumbai’s international schools drawing salaries equivalent to that offered in the corporate world. Those teaching in state and non-state board schools also earn good salaries.
Teaching is no longer a humble profession with those from Mumbai’s international schools drawing salaries equivalent to that offered in the corporate world. Those teaching in state and non-state board schools also earn good salaries. However, there are still many irregularities and divisions standing in the way of fair pay for many teachers.
Salaries of senior teachers in many of the city’s high-end international schools catering largely to the expat and upper middle-class, would put business executives to shame. Co-ordinators or head of departments earn as much as Rs 1 to Rs 2 lakh per month. While, starting salaries for teachers in such schools range from between Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000 depending on experience.
Teachers complained that there was still a huge gap between Indian and expat teachers’ salaries in these schools. “The salaries for expat teachers is close to 43,000 dollars (around 2.86 lakh) per month,” said a teacher from an international school in Juhu. “Indian teachers are only paid in that bracket if they become co-ordinators, which is rare.”
Non-state board schools – ISC, ICSE and CBSE – might not be as high-paying as international ones, but they too have started to offer lucrative salaries ranging from Rs 35,000 to Rs 75,000. School principals are paid around Rs 1 to Rs 2 lakh per month.
“International school teachers are paid more as their curriculum demands project-based, practical teaching,” said a teacher from a reputable ICSE school in Vile Parle. Principals of r ICSE schools agreed that teachers were not being paid fairly. “The salaries that teachers get is not in proportion with the effort they put in,” said Carl Laurie, principal, Christ Church School, Byculla.
The advent of the sixth pay commission has boosted salaries of state board teachers, but starting salaries still remain low.
A government-aided school offers Rs 10,000 to Rs 61,000, while some private schools pay as low as Rs 8,000 a month.
“Pay scales of teachers today are based on the type of board, student fee, location, experience and so on,” said Francis Joseph, director, RMinds Education, a School Development company.
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