Grant Hold-Up at Start of Financial Year Leaves Educators Unpaid
Primary school teachers across Gujarat faced financial hardship this month as salaries for nearly one lakh educators were delayed due to the non-release of government grants.
Following a representation by the Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh to the education secretary, the state education department released ₹1,481 crore.Salaries, typically credited by the 5th of every month, were disrupted at the beginning of the new financial year due to fund shortages.
While some talukas managed to disburse payments through internal arrangements, a large number of teachers struggled to meet daily expenses.Out of 1.72 lakh primary teachers in the state, around 70,000 to 80,000 received salaries through local arrangements, but nearly one lakh remained unpaid. The teachers’ association has called for timely grant releases and a more streamlined system to prevent such delays in the future.
The department released ₹139.80 crore for cities including Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Jamnagar and Bhavnagar, while ₹1,341.55 crore was allocated for the remaining 34 districts.