Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 1: The teachers of Muslim Educational Institute (MEI), Pampore today held a protest demonstration here demanding the release of pending salaries as well as cancellation of termination orders served to them.
Scores of such teachers assembled in the Press Enclave and raised slogans against the school authorities and also appealed the administration to look into the matter.
They said that during the pandemic they worked hard, even more than what they used to do earlier, “but have not been paid even a penny for last several months.”
The teachers have also filed a complaint with the Government’s Grievance Cell, however, after that, the teachers said they were harassed while many of them were terminated without prior notice.
“We have been demanding the release of pending salaries for long now but they did not budge and after we filed the complaint we were harassed and were asked to apologise and those who did not comply, including me, were sent termination letters via post,” said Shazia one of the teacher who has been working at the school for the last 4 years.
There are around 200 employees which include teaching as well as non-teaching staff, out of which 24 teachers have not been given their salaries while as 16 of them have been terminated by the school authorities.
Teachers allege that the school has collected fees from the parents in entirety and when they heard that, they started asking them to release their salaries, which they did not.
“We have been working in the pandemic as well. Then the schools reopened. They collected fees from the parents and then we asked them to release our salaries, which they did not,” said Showkat Ahmad Rather another teacher at the school.
While the case has been lying pending with the district administration Pulwama, the school authorities, as per teachers, have filed forged documents stating that they have not collected fees from the parents.
A parent told Excelsior that the school did not even declare the result of two of his wards until he cleared the dues including annual fee and other charges.
“They did not budge and made me deposit all the charges till then they did not declare the result of my wards who are enrolled in the school; it is sheer injustice if they are not paying the salaries to the staff which has been working hard,” said Firdous Ahmad a parent.
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