Plight of private school teachers
By: Zahoor Farooq
Teachers, working in different private schools have been relegated to obscurity in Kashmir. As government is not able to accommodate all qualified candidates, they leap into the breach and embark on an unmapped journey that they fail to navigate through later on in their lives. Once they take the plunge in private schools, they apply themselves to providing the best to their students and are always willing to extend their support to their students so as to contribute to students’ success and to meet the expectations that are laid on the shoulders of teachers.
They are saddled from all quarters to handle constant pressure exerted by administration, management and upper echelons of academics in private institutions. However, the salary paid to them is exceptionally disproportionate to their efforts and commitment. Quite recently, I have stumbled upon an advertisement surfaced on various social media sites with reference to the recruitment of private teachers having been paid the salary of 6000 to 7000 for post graduates. One way or the other, it dissuades people from achieving education when results are disconcerting enough to drive them to take another route in order to survive in society.
Above all, post-covid world was the worst phase for teachers working in private institutions, as their already miserable lives were further aggravated owing to their pay being withheld in view of pandemic that brought the bustling world to a grinding halt. When schools reopened after pandemic, either teachers were paid half salary or nothing at all, the school management came up with different excuses dodging the issue of complete disbursement of salary even when the school management recovered all the fee dues from parents. There were teachers who awfully suffered at the hands of their concerned private school management.
Even some teachers reported to have been terminated from the school in the wake of post-covid crisis. Some complaints about salary cuts and increased working hours were doing rounds on social networking sites after covid. Most of the private schools recruit female teachers over male teachers because they are willing to work at a minimum pay. It also turns out to be problematic for private teachers when it comes the recruitment of teachers.
Unlike private school teacher, the other unemployed sections in society receive limelight and are brought forth from time to time. Although, this hapless lot has been transferred into exile beyond recall. Government should roll out some policies and strategies to take them into consideration and save them from falling prey to the exploitation perpetuated by private school management. Their monthly pay against their efforts is peerless, they take pains with a view to bring the best out of students so as to chip in for the growth and success of the school.
It is worth mentioning that government implemented National Educational Policy to bring reforms in education and redress the challenges that education in India faces. Special emphasis was laid on education being strengthened and multidisciplinary. On the one hand government, through National Educational Policy seeks to be concerned about the students of the nation and on the other hand, it does not bother to bring financial grievances to the fore and oppression inflicted upon such teachers who are given back seat in education.
Sadly, no provisions have been made with regard to private school teachers who work tirelessly for seven to eight hours for which they are paid seven to eight thousand monthly, despite being well qualified and hardworking. They provide results hundred times better and more efficient to their school contrary to their monthly pay. Keeping into view the exploitations and miseries that teachers are afflicted with by the management of the school with respect to their monthly pay, the onus falls on the government to resuscitate this lot that has been migrated into oblivion by unrolling policies that can help them survive in the society.
Government should incorporate policies in its National Educational Policy with reference to the monthly pay of private school teachers being fixed, so that the exploitative practices that are rampant in private schools, will come to halt. The grade concerning salary for private teachers should be uniformly set so as to minimize their sufferings caused by the school management. It is equally the duty of teachers to raise their voice against any kind of exploitation on the part of management, they should not turn a blind eye to oppression even if it is minorly inflicted upon them. If private school teachers are being collective victims to this vicious cycle of exploitation, they all must stand together to topple such authoritative and oppressive management so that a positive change is brought about.
If teachers are expected to provide quality education, it is incumbent upon government to put forward certain measures and provisions, so that private teaching fraternity will take pride in being a part of a particular institution. Education is universally the noblest profession of all and at the same time, educators are exploited to a greater extent. If teachers feel at ease with teaching, they will certainly multiply their efforts and ensure their full compliance with the rules and regulations of the institute and subsequently the department will get to see the great output.
A teacher cannot be anticipated to give hundred percent or to work with a level of satisfaction as long as he is not satisfied with his job and it will also leave adverse impact on his performance. Besides a regulatory body needs to be constituted to fix the monthly pay of teachers in accordance with their qualification because eventually the students have to bear the burnt following continual exploitation of teachers at the hands of school management. Youth that can contribute to building nation stems from preserving the dignity of its teachers and protecting them from any kind of exploitation.
