The teaching and the non-teaching staff of the Adarsh Schools continued their protest for a salary hike for the second consecutive day, prompting the education department to depute substitute teachers to minimise disruption to classes.
Amandeep Singh Shastri, the convener of the Adarsh School Teaching and Non-Teaching Association, Punjab, said the teachers and other staff had been working on meagre salaries for years.
The protesters said the 24 Adarsh Schools, established across the state in 2011 under a 70:30 public-private partnership (PPP) model, follow the CBSE curriculum, charge no admission or tuition fees, and provide free mid-day meals. Shastri said each school, on average, has an enrolment of around 2,000 students.
Shastri, who is a TGT Hindi teacher at a school in Gandhuan village, said 13 of the 24 schools were placed under the district education officer after the private companies managing them withdrew.
“My school caters to 1,600 students with a current workforce of 80 employees, including 60 teachers, though some staff have left because of the low salaries. I have been working for ₹10,000 per month for over 10 years without a single increment. However, despite the takeover, our salaries remain unchanged, unlike some of the other PPP-run schools where teachers receive standard wages. Despite holding 35 to 40 meetings with government representatives, we are still sitting on roads, protesting to press for our demands,” he said.
Parvinder Kaur, a government official overseeing these schools, said placing them under DEOs was a stopgap arrangement to ensure students’ studies are not affected. She added that while ₹10,000 was the minimum salary, many employees are drawing higher wages.
{{/usCountry}}Parvinder Kaur, a government official overseeing these schools, said placing them under DEOs was a stopgap arrangement to ensure students’ studies are not affected. She added that while ₹10,000 was the minimum salary, many employees are drawing higher wages.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, a Class 12 student at an Adarsh School alleged that the strike was affecting their studies. “There was no one in the school besides the principal. We went to school and returned home. Only one visiting teacher from another school came and asked us to study on our own,” she said.