70 school teachers in Bangalore not paid salary by Government for two years

Over 70 school teachers in Bangalore have not been paid their salary for the last two years.

According to Government officials, the reason for denial of salaries to these teachers is that they teach in Government schools, where the teacher-pupil ration is lower than the stipulated 1:40.

The declining teacher-pupil ratio in Bangalore has been attributed to the growing trend among parents to send their children to English medium schools. Government officials admitted that these school teachers had become a victim of the falling numbers in Kannada-medium schools.

All the 70 teachers, who have gone without receiving a single rupee as salary for the last two years, teach at Kannada medium schools, Government officials admitted.

The condition of the unpaid school teachers has been described as “pitiable” in the local media. While most teachers are borrowing to buy monthly rations, some have been threatened with eviction by landlords as they have not been able to pay the rent. Though some are managing because their spouses have a job, life has become extremely tough for most of them.

However, most of the teachers, if not all, are continuing to attend classes regularly even if they are not paid their salary. Several teachers, who had put in more than a decade of service, admitted that they are not in a position to change their professional after so many years of teaching.

The only consolation the Government officials can give to the teachers is that their services had not been terminated. Their petitions to Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy for a transfer to schools which have a healthy teacher-pupil ratio have not borne fruit yet, the school teachers lament.