E-Paper
Ludhiana: Schools told to bear cost of plaques, get paid later
The state education department recently began formal inaugurations of various upgrade projects in government schools across the region; as part of the preparation, schools have been asked to bear the initial costs of commemorative plaques and event arrangements, with the promise of reimbursement later
Even as the Punjab government launched a grand 54-day education festival with the inauguration of development works in government schools, discontent is brewing among the teaching community over pending salaries and mounting work pressure.
The state education department recently began formal inaugurations of various upgrade projects in government schools across the region. As part of the preparation, schools have been asked to bear the initial costs of commemorative plaques and event arrangements, with the promise of reimbursement later. However, this directive has not gone down well with teachers who are already struggling with two months of unpaid salaries.
Davinder Singh Sidhu, general secretary of the Lecturer Cadre Union, said that while teachers are not against supporting the government’s initiatives, the timing and burden are unfair. “We are expected to manage enrolments, handle multiple academic and administrative tasks, and now also organise inauguration events—all while not being paid for the last two months,” he said. “This is the time when students pay their annual fee, but many can’t afford to. We usually help them, but now we ourselves are in a tough spot.”
State education minister Harjot Singh Bains, on Sunday, announced that the festival will witness the inauguration of projects worth ₹2,000 crore across 12,000 government schools in Punjab. On the first day, 43 schools in Ludhiana district were inaugurated.
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora inaugurated infrastructure works worth ₹81 lakh in four government schools, including Government High School (Barewal Awana) and Government Primary School (Sunet). He also committed ₹10 lakh from his MPLAD funds for further development.
State cabinet ministers Hardeep Singh Mundian and Tarunpreet Singh Sond, along with MLA Madan Lal Bagga, also took part in inaugurating upgraded facilities like smart classrooms, science labs, boundary walls, toilets, and sports grounds across various schools in the district including Government Middle School (GMS) in Rahon, Goh and Rattanheri, GSSS Lalheri and GPS in Malakpur and Goh, GHS Talwandi Khurd, GPS and GSSS, Sidhwan Bet (Boys), among others.
Despite the impressive announcements, many teachers feel that the focus on ceremonial events is taking away attention from academic priorities. “I have over 200 admission forms waiting for corrections, many from students coming from private schools,” said the principal of a senior secondary school in Ludhiana. “But because we’re so tied up with event preparations, a few of them have already returned to their old schools.”
District education officer (DEO) elementary Ravinder Kaur confirmed that schools have not yet received any funds for these events. Meanwhile, a concerned official from the DEO said that the salary budget has been released and teachers should receive their payments within the next couple of days.
Schools told to promote events online
The education department has also directed school heads to take on another responsibility- online promotion of the events. According to sources, teachers have been instructed to share photos and videos of the inauguration ceremonies held in their schools. These visuals must be posted not only on the official social media accounts of the schools but also on the personal accounts of the teachers themselves. In addition, school authorities have been asked to encourage parents to do the same, urging them to upload content from the events on their own social platforms to widen the reach and create more visibility for the government’s efforts.
