Teachers exhausted by salary cuts, threat of job loss

Ahmedabad: Students of Class IX of a city-based school were shocked when their Science teacher started screaming during an online class for no reason. After consultation with a psychologist, it was found that the teacher is a victim of depression and anxiety as she was facing financial issues after salary cut and was kept on toes by the school management.

The scene was no different for an educator in Bapunagar, who turned into an electrician, after the school where he was teaching offered him half salary (Rs 2,500) during the corona pandemic. Another educator is selling vegetables, along with teaching, to make the ends meet. Shouldering the responsibilities of four senior citizens, an educator in an elite school is braving the salary cut, but eaten by anxiety over fears of job loss if the pandemic goes on.

These are not isolated cases. Almost all educators are suffering from anxiety and financial stress as they teach students online with extra efforts and less salary.

An educator said, “We have updated ourselves and are working hard to ensure smooth online classes, facing salary cut and the

threat of job loss

.” Another educator points out, “ I was not tech-savvy, but took a laptop on loan for online classes. I don’t wish to give management any excuse to sack me.”

The Private School Teachers Association has till now received 90 applications over salary cuts or job losses.

Talking to TOI, state education minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said, “We have not received a single complaint till date pertaining to job loss or salary cut.”

Ahmedabad School Management Association president Amrut Bharwad says, “Many schools have formed teacher's committees to collect fees. This is to ensure transparency between school management and educators as school fees ensure teacher salaries.”

Schools may deny, but almost all have imposed salary cuts. Bharat Gajipara, president of Gujarat Self-Financed School Management Federation, says, “It is when students pay the fees, teachers get their salary, and almost 20 per cent of schools have gone for salary cuts. This is also because after the Fee Regulation Committee (FRC) savings of schools have gone down drastically and they have no corpus fund left to pay salaries.”