Govt teachers request Delhi education minister to settle pending tablet reimbursement issue

A letter addressed to Ashish Sood and signed by GSTA general secretary Ajay Veer Yadav highlighted the “long-pending issue of tablet reimbursement”.

The Delhi Government School Teachers’ Association has urged education minister Ashish Sood to release long-pending tablet reimbursement dues, citing the financial burden.

Queries sent by HT to the director of the Directorate of Education (DoE) and the education minister Ashish Sood didn’t elicit a response. (ANI File)

In a letter addressed to Sood and signed by GSTA general secretary Ajay Veer Yadav, the association highlighted the “long-pending issue of tablet reimbursement”.

“GSTA also wishes to highlight the long-pending issue of tablet reimbursement. Pursuant to the directions of the previous government, teachers purchased tablets from their personal savings for official educational purposes. However, reimbursement of these expenses remains pending to date, causing an unnecessary financial burden on teachers,” the letter stated.

Queries sent by HT to the director of the Directorate of Education (DoE) and the education minister didn’t elicit a response.

The order

A circular issued by the Directorate of Education in 2023 directed all regular and guest teachers to purchase tablets, with reimbursement of up to ₹15,000 or the device's cost.

“The reimbursement towards purchase of a tablet is allowed for a maximum of ₹15,000 or the cost of the tablet, whichever is less. All referred teachers are directed to buy the tablet and submit the bill by January, 31, 2024, failing which no reimbursement will be made, and action as deemed will be initiated against the defaulting teachers,” an order dated December 12, 2023, signed by then DoE director Himanshu Gupta, stated, a copy of which has been seen by HT.

What the teachers say

Several government school teachers told HT that their tablet reimbursement dues have been pending since 2023, despite repeated raises of the issue at both the school and department levels.

“Thousands of us purchased tablets in 2023 as routine schoolwork, including student attendance and recording examination marks, was increasingly being digitised. We were told that a maximum of ₹15,000 would be reimbursed, but most of us have yet to receive any payment,” said a teacher who has been teaching at a West Delhi school for over three decades, requesting anonymity.

Another teacher from South Delhi said the order had made purchasing tablets mandatory and warned of action against teachers who failed to comply.

“We purchased the tablets with our own money because the order stated that the reimbursement would be provided within a few months,” said a 35-year-old guest teacher.