After the ban by the Punjab government to recruit new teachers in the aided schools, children and school management are facing the shortage of teachers.
When the grant-in-aid scheme was launched in 1967 in Punjab, as many as 10000 teachers were sanctioned for 484 aided schools. Till 2003, only 4000 teachers were recruited after which the government halted the recruitment and the schools are running without the required 6000 teachers, said Ravinder Joshi, state secretary of Punjab aided school teachers union.
Meanwhile, Daljit Singh Cheema, education minister of state, said, "We know no new teacher has been recruited since 2003 in the aided schools. However, soon we will recommend the other ministries and permit the schools to recruit new teachers on their level. As many as 4445 new teachers will be recruited in four phases."
At Ashoka Senior Secondary School, Sirhind, 40 more teachers are required and the non-availability of teachers is troubling the students as they have to study from non-expert teachers of other subjects. In a few government schools, there are excess teachers, such as in villages Saidpur and Adampur, where there are six to eight teachers for 40 children.
In government school at Saidpur village, there is an average one teacher for six students. On the other hand, in aided schools, there is an average one teacher against more than 45 students.
Aided school teachers alleged that politically strong people and bureaucrats recommend their family members for teachers in the government schools. The teachers with more than 30 years of service in the aided schools have been getting `45,000 per month while new recruits in other government schools get Rs 60,000 per month and moreover, the remaining 4000 teachers are not getting salary since October last year, alleged Ravinder Joshi
{{/usCountry}}Aided school teachers alleged that politically strong people and bureaucrats recommend their family members for teachers in the government schools. The teachers with more than 30 years of service in the aided schools have been getting `45,000 per month while new recruits in other government schools get Rs 60,000 per month and moreover, the remaining 4000 teachers are not getting salary since October last year, alleged Ravinder Joshi
{{/usCountry}}"The amount of pending salary of all teachers is more than Rs 15 crore," Joshi added However, Cheema said, "The salary difference is because of the 5thand 6th Pay Commission recommendations and this is the work of other departments to fix a proper amount of salary. So far as non-payment of salary is concerned, I will make sure that their salary is released soon."
Moreover, six aided schools of Fatehgarh Sahib are running without principals since last two years.
It may be noted that the government aided schools are those in which 95% of entire salary is being paid by the government and the remaining 5% is paid by the management committee of the concerned school.