The teachers of 136 aided colleges of Punjab have not been receiving their salaries for the past five months.
Now that they have exhausted their means, they are on a warpath against the government’s attitude in delaying their salaries and arrears.
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU) has warned the Secretary, Higher Education of impending protests due to the wilful delay in disbursing salary grants and arrears to teachers of 136 aided colleges in the state.
Executive Member PCCTU Varun Goel expressed deep frustration and concern over the unprecedented delay in the release of salaries.
He emphasised that educators cannot survive without salaries for extended periods, questioning the government’s claim of prioritising education.
“We can only blame the government for its faulty policies and mismanagement, which have pushed nation-builders into a state of penury where they can neither live nor die. It has been five months since the government released any aid to aided colleges, and teachers are facing an acute financial crisis as a result. How can a salaried person survive for five months without pay when the prices of even basic commodities have skyrocketed?” the executive member added.
He further said that the state government has maintained that the delay was due to pending claims requiring additional staff for processing. “But it is the government’s responsibility to deploy extra staff and clear salary bills on time. Teachers cannot be made to suffer because of administrative delays,” Goel added.
“My child has to pursue a course at a university, for which I have to pay more than Rs 1 lakh in fees, and the payment is time-bound. If I miss the deadline, he will have to lose a year. Every day, I ask the college superintendent whether there is any hope of the salary being released, but the answer is always the same — no,” shared a teacher from a city college.
Similarly, another teacher is waiting for his salary to undergo surgery. He has already taken a fresh appointment date from the doctor in the hope that the salary may be released by the end of this week. “But if it doesn’t happen, the doctor may not give me another date since the surgery has already been delayed,” he said.
Prof. Raman Sharma, Area Secretary of the PCCTU, warned that the union demands immediate attention to the issue and resolution of the pending matters. “The government should step in and take prompt action to disburse salary grants and arrears to the affected teachers. This is the height of callousness and disregard any government can show towards those who shape the nation. A starving teacher cannot teach effectively. There are colleges where teachers are facing such severe financial hardship that they have virtually given up hope. This is a cruel joke being played by the government,” he added.
Prof. Chamkaur Singh, District President of the PCCTU, said the process of clearing salary grants, which is usually completed in the first week of April every year, remained incomplete till the end of May this year. “The delay has meant that many teachers have not received salaries since January. Earlier, salary delays in aided colleges were usually limited to one or two months and were cleared without agitation. Now it has become a pattern. Every year, we have to protest or approach the courts for our own salaries,” he said.
“Besides current salaries, arrears from the 2018-19 academic session are still pending in several colleges. The prolonged wait has forced many teachers to approach courts for the release of their dues. With salaries delayed for five months and arrears pending since 2018-19, teachers of government-aided colleges in Punjab are borrowing money for household expenses and seeking legal intervention to secure their payments,” staff representatives said.
