Amid fear of salary, pension blues in festive season yet again, teachers seek CM’s intervention
Into the third month without payment, the joint action committee of the two main teachers’ bodies have sought the intervention of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
It happened in 2022 and 2023, when thousands of Bihar’s college and varsity teachers remained without salary and the retired ones without pension during the festive season for months, and it is again threatening to happen in 2024.
Into the third month without payment, the joint action committee of the two main teachers’ bodies have sought the intervention of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar “to end the anarchical situation created by whimsical orders and riders by the education department officials”.
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“Payment of salary and pension to the university teachers and its employees both working and retired may be delayed yet again with no time limit specified by the government to release budgetary grant for the financial year 2024-25 in view of govt's letter dated September 11 to universities, asking the universities to upload working, retired and guest teachers' pay data on the department portal,” said the federation of university teachers association of Bihar (FUTAB) president KB Sinha and general secretary Sanjay Kumar.
Education department secretary Baidyanath Yadav had written to the universities that though data with regard to working teachers has been uploaded by all universities, the same for pensioners and guest teachers is still incomplete. Besides, he also flagged the delay in refunding the unspent amount to the department despite repeated reminders, making it clear that unless all the orders were complied with, release of fresh grant would not be considered.
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A senior officer of the department said that despite repeated reminders through letters and phone that funds would be released only upon uploading of the data on Payroll management portal to issue payslips with all details, it has not happened.
“As far as regular teachers and staff are concerned, it has been completed over 90% and the process is on for release of grants for them, but for those getting pension and family pension, it is still not there. Even for guest teachers, the data has not been uploaded. We sought basic data, which is required in any department. Now, we have escalated the matter to the top level for guideline with a suggestion that accountability be fixed and salary of the top university officials, viz. VC, registrar, finance officer and financial advisor be stopped until all data is furnished, as teachers and employees understandably have nothing to do with it,” he added.
He said that the refund of the funds lying unused since 2018, when the central financial management system (CFMS) was launched, has also not happened, though some universities have returned some money to the government exchequer.
However, teachers’ bodies are questioning the chronic problem of stopping salary and payment of all, as this was unheard of in any other government department or institution despite anomalies detected by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.
“Putting riders to stall payment of all is not justified, as teachers and employees have nothing to do with what goes between the government and the universities. In 2007 a joint delegation of teachers’ bodies had met the Chief Minister at his residence and narrated several issues concerning the university teachers. CM said that his first concern was to regularise the payment of monthly salary ,pension and provident fund and it also happened, but for the past several years the same old problem has been repeating with no solution,” said federation of university Service teachers association of Bihar (FUSTAB) president Ram Jatan Sinha and General Secretary Dilip Choudhary.
The government had in June released the funds for payment of last fiscal’s backlog salary to teachers, employees, guest teachers as well as pensioners and the funds for the new fiscal 2024-25 up to June to restore normalcy. This was around six-month salary, but after that the salary and pension have again got stuck, while Durga Puja begins from October 3 and after that several important festivals are lined in the next one month.
Last year, the then Additional Chief Secretary (education) Dipak Kumar Singh had told the Patna High Court that the department would work out a mechanism in consultation with the VCs and related officials of universities to ensure timely pension payment in universities. However, things have not changed even though there has been change of guard in the department thrice since then at the level of ACS as well as minister.
“Even DA remains low at 34% to university teachers, while it has reached 42% for Bihar govt employees. The arrear also remains unpaid. The teachers and employees are made to suffer at the slightest behest even though at present the universities are functioning at less than half the sanctioned strength,” said the leaders.
The HC had earlier, while hearing a contempt petition last year, cited the Division Bench order of 2018 with regard to modality of payment of pension to the retired employees of the Universities and observed that the practical implementation of the same was not being made. The court said that the retired employees must get pension every month.
