Kakinada: Private teachers in catch-22 situation

Kakinada: The teachers under private managements are subjected to untold suffering and hardships as salaries have not been paid since the period of lockdown. At least half of the salary is not paid to meet their basic necessities. In their hapless condition, they have resorting to selling vegetables and other menial jobs.

Most of them have been expressing their anguish over negligence of both the private managements and the government. Many of the private managements have taken their original degrees and mark lists and any demand for salaries would be intimidating and reluctant to return their degrees. They are left in a quandary owing to the circumstances.

Almost all the private school teachers in the district have not been able to meet the monthly expenses for their families for the last six months. Many managements are on the verge of firing teachers. A few are keeping only core subject teachers and the others are put on hold, with no payment. These qualified Indian youth are denied payment by managements as students are not paying fee.

G Surendra Nath, an English teacher of Ravindra Bharathi School at Pithapuram branch told 'The Hans India' that the management has not been paying salary since January 2020. In view of the lockdown they have been teaching classes through online mode. Despite continuing teaching through online, the school management refuses to pay salaries for this lockdown period.

Surendra Nath said that strangely the management is advising the teachers to collect the fee from the students and take their salaries from the collected fee. The parents of the wards are questioning why they should pay a fee when the schools are not open.

Surendra Nath is appealing to the district Collector to help for the payment of the salary and return of original degrees deposited with the management.

Principal M Anjani Kumar said that salaries are paid to the teachers regularly and nobody is put to inconvenience. He said that they are following the guidelines of the management.

District Joint Collector G Lakshmisha told 'The Hans India' that stringent action would be taken against the managements who don't pay salaries to the teachers or reluctant to return their original degree certificates. He also said that an inquiry would be conducted against such erring in institutes.

District Education Officer S Abraham said he will take stringent action against erring managements in the matter of non-payment of salaries and non-return of certificates to the teachers concerned. He said that the certificates should be returned without any condition or intimidation.

Meanwhile MLC Illa Venkateswar Rao appealed to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to come to the rescue and provide relief to the staff members of private, aided and un-aided schools and colleges and sanction them financial assistance of Rs 10,000 per month.

He expressed anguish and agony over the plight and misery of these teachers working in private schools and colleges owing to non-payment of salaries during this Covid-19 period. He said that nearly five lakh families in the state are subjected to hardship and untold suffering due to non-payment of salaries. He also requested the government that the fruits of welfare measures should reach this hapless neglected sector in society.