Lockdown Effect? To save money, private school terminates teachers en-masse

SRINAGAR — Private school managements that left no stone unturned in exacting school fee from hapless parents for the lockdown period have now started terminating school teachers en-masse to save, whatever meagre salaries they were offering to them.

This came to light when teachers from a private school namely ‘Muslim Educational Institute’ (MEI) assembled here in Press Enclave Srinagar stating that the school management has so for terminated 16 teachers who were demanding salaries.

The school in question is located in saffron town Pampore of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.

The protesting teachers said they didn’t get any salary from the school during lockdown period but offered their services regularly.

“We were conducting online classes, checking assignments of students and offering other services. When parents deposited the fee, we demanded our salaries that have been withheld from past seven months. But, instead of paying fee, the school management started sending termination orders by post. So far, 16 teachers have received the termination orders while eight teachers are still waiting for these orders,” the protesting teachers, who were carrying placards, said.

“School management is behaving inhumanly with us. Many of us are getting calls from school, threatening us of consequences if we highlight the matter. The behaviour of the Principal is totally inhuman,” they said.

“We have been working in this private school for the past 20 years. Still the management has the audacity to humiliate us. Salary is our right. We have offered our services while the school has already exacted fee from the students. In order to save money, the management is now trying to terminate us,” they said.

Authorities have already issued directions to schools not to terminate the services of teachers. “This is gross violation of government directives; they said and sought intervention of District Development Commissioner and Chief Education Officer Pulwama,” he said.