Ludhiana: Govt-aided schools’ staff decry grant release delays

Officials from the directorate of public instructions cited discrepancies between the claims submitted by school managements and the audit reports of the department as the main reason for the delay

Expressing deep anger and frustration, the staff members of government-aided schools, who have not received their salaries for the past eight months, burnt copies of government orders at the Mini Secretariat on Saturday. The orders stated that financial aid for just one month- April- had been released, a move the aggrieved teachers called a “cruel joke” and a complete mockery of their hardship.

Teachers of government-aided schools protesting outside the mini secretariat in Ludhiana on Saturday. (HT Photo)

Nearly 1,700 teachers working in government-aided schools across Punjab, including around 215 in Ludhiana, have been affected by the delay. Despite months of protests and repeated meetings with senior education officials, the deadlock over the release of grants remains unresolved, pushing many teachers into severe financial distress.

Gurmeet Singh Madnipur, state president of the Aided Schools Union, said that protests were held outside the directorate of public instructions (secondary) office in Mohali also. “We have held several rounds of talks with cabinet ministers, the director of secondary education, and the education secretary, but the issue continues to linger,” he said.

Madnipur added that the prolonged non-payment has left teachers struggling to meet daily needs. “Since 95% of our salaries come from the government and only 5% from management, we are left completely helpless. Many of us are unable to pay EMIs or afford medical treatment. Teachers who have served for decades are now forced to borrow money just to survive,” he lamented.

Sewa Singh Chawla, president of the Management Association of Government-Aided Schools, said the new instruction has added confusion as for the first time, the government has asked the managements to deduct the surplus amount, which is actually meant for infrastructure development.

Madnipur further said that teachers had earlier planned a rally in Tarn Taran on Saturday but were told to cancel it after being assured that grants for six months would be released soon. “However, late-night orders revealing that only one month’s grant had been approved came as a shock,” he said.

When contacted, Anindita Mitra, administrative secretary of school education, said, “None of the aided schools have submitted the required balance sheets. The finance department has made this a mandatory condition. Once the documents are submitted, the remaining grants will be processed. However, considering Diwali, we released one month’s grant as per the finance department’s directions.”

However, the teachers have now announced plans for a state-wide protest in the coming days to highlight their worsening situation and demand immediate release of all pending grants.