Jalandhar: Aided school staff on the path of struggle due to non-payment of salary for 7 months

Jalandhar: Due to non-payment of salaries for several months, teachers and employees of government-aided schools have announced a “Black Diwali” to protest against the state government. The Government-Aided Teachers and Other Employees Union held a protest in Jalandhar today, demanding the immediate release of pending salaries and the resolution of their grievances. Gathering at the DAC in Jalandhar, the employees raised slogans against the government, the Chief Minister, and the Finance Minister. They also warned that if the government does not pay their pending dues, they will express their anger during the Tarn Taran by-election. Abbit Masih, the union’s state vice-president, said that thousands of teachers and employees of government-aided schools have not received their salaries for the past seven months. He said that despite repeated meetings with officials of the Education and Finance Departments and ministers, thousands of teachers and employees working in these schools have not been paid their salaries after March 2025. He said that employees’ salaries have been withheld in the name of auditing the management of aided schools. The department does not have sufficient staff to conduct the audit, but also lacks section officers. Union leaders stated that for the first time since 1967, the state government has withheld employee grants under the pretext of auditing management committees. They alleged the government is conspiring to close aided schools. During festivals like Dussehra and Diwali, when other state governments provide employees with dearness allowance installments or salary bonuses, aided employees are forced to celebrate without pay. They stated that the long-term lack of salaries has worsened the financial situation of the employees. The government, which claims to bring about an education revolution, has neither listened to nor done anything. Union leaders strongly condemned the government for humiliating the employees of these schools by not paying them salaries during the festive season. Union leaders stated that Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal had announced during the elections that he would release 100 percent grants to aided schools, similar to Delhi’s, but nothing of the sort has happened. They stated that teachers teaching 1.76 lakh students in aided schools are living in dire financial circumstances. He said the teaching community is now forced to vent its anger in the Tarn Taran by-election. In a joint statement, union leaders warned the government that if it does not release salaries to government-aided school employees for the past eight months, they will intensify their protests, for which the government will be held responsible.