Aided school staff sans salary for six months

An important meeting of principals and representatives of government-aided schools was held at SD Senior Secondary School, Hoshiarpur, to discuss the worsening financial crisis in aided institutions. Teachers expressed deep concern over the non-release of salary for the past six months, which has left hundreds of families in severe hardships.

Speakers said teachers, who are entrusted with shaping the future of children, are today unable to meet household expenses, pay for children’s education, or manage urgent medical needs. “It is shameful that those who educate society are being forced to live without dignity,” they remarked.

The meeting strongly appealed to the government to release the pending grants without further delay. It also reminded the government of its election promise to merge aided-school staff with government schools, describing it essential to ensuring stability and respect for teachers. The principals said delaying this commitment amounts to betrayal of the teaching community.

The meeting was addressed by Principals Puneet Kumar, Poonam Sharma, Seema Sharma, Balkar Singh, Neeraj Ghai, Anil Handa, Archana Walia, Sonila Rajput, Rajneesh Kaur, Sunil Dutt, Rajesh Gupta, Brijmani Mahesh, Arun Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, and educationist Sanjeev Kumar.

A memorandum was sent to the Punjab Education Secretary through Assistant Commissioner, Hoshiarpur, Oishi Mandal. The speakers underlined that this is not just a fight for survival, but for the future of quality education and the preservation of aided schools, which have been an integral part of Punjab’s educational and cultural heritage.