4 months on, computer teachers await salary

Naina Mishra

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27

As many as 150 senior and junior computer instructors working in various government schools of the city since 2008 have not been paid salaries for the past four months.

A 35-year-old male teacher said, “I am yet to pay my son’s fee for six months amounting to Rs21,000 as I haven’t received my salary for the past four months. My six-month electricity bill is also pending and I haven’t even paid my insurance instalments as well. I am reeling under financial trauma and I have no strength to stretch it any further.”

A 35-year-old female computer teacher said, “I have drained all my savings and have no resources left for sustenance. I have been earning for the past 12 years. We haven’t received our salaries after May and do not know for how long we are going to survive like this.”

A representation citing the problems of computer instructors was submitted to the UT Administration time and again, but nothing has been done so far. The representation stated, “We are not getting our salaries for the past two months. As you are well aware that the Covid pandemic is going on and the inflation is at its peak, it has been difficult for the faculty to meet their inescapable expenses and has made their families face financial crisis

and hardship in this tough phase.”

“Computer instructors are handling online processes such as U-DISE, PISA, and DBT of notebooks and food security allowance under the Mid-day Meal Scheme, providing support in online teaching. All regular and contractual staff working in government schools are getting their salaries on time, but discrimination has been done with the computer faculty, which is really sadistic,” read the representation further.

Till May 31, computer instructors were being paid salaries through SPIC (The Society for Promotion of IT in Chandigarh). Thereafter, the UT Education Department floated a tender at GeM portal, wherein a private contractor was given a contract for providing IT faculties.

On June 19, they submitted a written complaint to the District Education Officer, UT, against a private contractor for allegedly demanding money from them.

As per their complaints, the new contractor was adopting illegal methods to extract money by openly demanding Rs12,000 from teachers. However, the matter is still being investigated, while teachers are still devoid of their pay hitherto.

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