3,000 teachers without pay for three months

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 18

Over 3,000 teachers of government senior secondary and high schools in the state have not received their salaries for the past three months.

Ever since 535 government schools (373 high schools and 162 middle schools were upgraded to senior secondary and high school level, respectively, in June) were upgraded, all teachers of these upgraded senior secondary schools and over 300 teachers of high schools have not got their salaries.

The reason for the teachers not getting their salaries is that the principals and head teachers of these 535 schools have not got the DDO (Drawing and Disbursing Officer) powers from the state treasury so far, said highly placed sources in the School Education Department.

After the upgrade of high schools to senior secondary level, there was a creation of new posts — a principal and five lecturers each in all these 373 schools. So, 373 posts of principal and 1,865 posts of lecturer were created.

Calculating their total annual salary at Rs 138.75 crore, the state Finance Department gave its nod to this budget on July 28.

But the Accountant General Office is yet to give its nod to the DDO powers to the principals of these senior secondary schools for the drawing and disbursal of salaries.

Balbir Singh Dhol, Director Public Instructions (DPI-Schools), said the teachers would get their salaries soon.

The same is the case of over 300 teachers and headmasters of 162 middle-to-high-level-upgraded schools as the headmasters of these schools have not got the DDO powers.

As there are no DDO powers with the head of a middle school, the teachers’ salaries are stuck. Moreover, there are over 1,000 other teachers who have not got their salaries for the past three months.

These teachers in middle, high and senior secondary schools got transfers against vacant posts three months back.