Delay in salary leaves state aided college employees in distress

Government-aided colleges across Punjab are yet to receive salary grants for the year 2026, pushing teaching and non-teaching staff into severe financial distress. Raising concern over the issue, Dr Gurdev Singh Randhawa, President of the Principal Association of Government Aided Colleges Punjab, stated that aided colleges across the state have received salary grants only up to December 2025, and even that amount covered merely 90 per cent of the financial year 2024-25 allocation.

He informed that almost all aided colleges had already submitted their salary grant claims for the financial year 2025-26 to the Directorate of Education, Punjab, but no further release has been made so far. Due to the continued delay, employees of these institutions are struggling under mounting financial pressure and uncertainty.

Expressing disappointment over the government’s approach, Dr Randhawa said the state government frequently speaks about bringing an “education revolution,” but in reality, institutions imparting higher education are being repeatedly neglected despite continuous representations made to the concerned authorities. He further pointed out that arrears related to grade revision of employees have also not been released even after submission of the required claims.

Dr Randhawa urged the government to take immediate action and release the pending salary grants along with grade revision arrears without further delay. He warned that if the dues are not cleared soon, employees associated with aided colleges across Punjab would be compelled to launch an agitation, for which the government alone would be responsible.