Salary blues back to haunt Bihar universities

In 2016-17 fiscal, university and college teachers in Bihar received salary only twice, the last being on November 2 for four months — June, July, August and September

For over 37,000 university and college employees in Bihar, the wait for salary continues to get longer. In the 2016-17 fiscal, they received salary only twice, the last being on November 2, for four months -- June, July, August and September.

Patna University (HT file photo)

Already into the fourth month without salary, resentment brews afresh among teachers. Universities have not received salary grant since October and with the new fiscal approaching, they may have to wait longer for the sanction.

In the current fiscal, university teachers and employees received their first salary in June for three months -- March, April and May.

The delay in salary payment has affected nearly 7,000 teachers and 30,000 non-teaching employees.

Though universities are functioning at barely 40-45% of their sanctioned strength, timely salary payment continues to be a big ask. Unadjusted accounts by some universities are often cited as the main reason for delays, besides objections from the state finance department.

“There was an unadjusted account of around Rs 1,900 crore last fiscal, which now stands at Rs 90 crore. We are trying to convince the treasury to accept it for now. The adjustments took time since the outstanding amount had not been reconciled since 2005. Hopefully, the entire adjustment will be completed soon,” said an officer of the education department.

Sources said efforts were underway for the release of salary, which may happen in a week’s time. “Once the backlog is adjusted, things will be smoother in future,” they added.

Leaders of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations of Bihar (FUTAB) KB Sinha and Sanjay Singh, MLC, said the “chronic delay” in salary payment to teachers and employees showed the government’s continued apathy towards higher education.

“Talking of wi-fi in colleges without getting even basics rights, can at best be called populist, as it will hardly contribute to quality of education,” they added.

The leader said after the human chain in support of prohibition and de-addiction that brought the entire state together, FUTAB would also plan a similar event to raise consciousness about the plight of universities and colleges in the state.