Teachers demand release of salary

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Dec. 3: In spite of the efforts of the district inspector of schools the Malda treasury has not released salary bill from the month of October for 40 high schools and Madrasas till date due to violation of government's order for claiming salary. Now the matter is still under the consideration of the Malda additional district magistrate. It may be noted that the treasury and district inspector of schools (secondary) took the decision not to pass salary bill from the month of October to press the school authorities to follow 21 points government system in school administration. The district authorities were strict to follow at least four points out of 21 including the updated audit report of the school. As a result a total of 333 schools and madrasas could not get salary on time. The treasury finally released salary bills for 154 schools and madrasas in first phase that were able to follow the system. After that 17 schools had been able to get salary in the second phase. Finally the district inspector of schools informed the school authorities to follow some minimum conditions for claiming bills for releasing 78 schools and another 41 schools. But finally the district administrative authorities objected to the release of salary for 43 schools who could not follow the minimum conditions. The teachers’ organisation ABTA had started movement against such drastic steps and demanded immediate release of salary. The leaders of the teachers’ organisation argued that the audit firms empanelled by the director of school education did not come to school to conduct audit regularly. The DI, schools Mr Chinmay Sarkar said: “the director of school education has enlisted another new firm for conducting audit in Malda schools. I have informed the matter to the schools and hanged the list on the notice board”. "Their argument was not correct. I have received a few complaints where the audit firms have alleged that school authorities are not interested to allow us for audit and they were consciously reluctant about audit,” the Malda DI Mr Sarkar said. To release salary bill for all disputed schools pending papers are being cleared from my office and the DSE as soon as possible so that the teacher cannot blame us, he said. The present step is effective to bring a system in all schools so they can follow all 21 points of the government's orders before submitting application for claiming grant-in-aid, he added.