Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Apr 12: The masters working under RMSA scheme in various schools of the State will continue to get Rs 27,160 as salary under the scheme as Central Government has turned down the State Government’s proposal to enhance their salaries.
According to highly placed sources, the Central Government has turned down the fresh proposal of State Government regarding enhancing the salaries fixed for masters working in State Government schools upgraded under RMSA in J&K since 2009.
The refusal of the Union Government to sanction more funds to increase the salary of masters working in these schools has put the Education Department into crisis as there is total resentment among teaching community due to the non disbursement of salaries to the teachers working under RMSA scheme since November last.
Sources said 536 schools have been upgraded from Middle to High Schools in the State under RMSA scheme since 2009 till date but the teachers working in these schools are not getting their full salaries.
Sources said that Central Government has approved an amount of Rs 27,160 as per month salary under RMSA scheme for a master appointed in the school upgraded under the scheme. As per the scheme the Government was to appoint fresh teachers on the contractual basis in the upgraded schools at a monthly pay of Rs 27,160. But the State Government instead promoted the already in service teachers as masters and transferred them in these schools. This led to a technical problem as the in service teachers who were working in the Department for over one or two decades had covered the pay scale up to Rs 45,000 while the Centre had only sanctioned Rs 27,160 as salary per teacher under the scheme, sources added.
This way the Government could not clear the pay dues of these teachers which led to grave crisis and protests by various teachers’ organizations in the length and breadth of the State. To overcome the problem and avert the crisis the Education Department paid salaries to these teachers after a gap of two to three months for one balanced month in full, sources added.
Sources said, this however, did not help in averting the crisis and the teachers organizations continued protests. Presently these masters working in various schools are without salaries since November last year. Despite the assurance of Commissioner Secretary Education Shalin Kabra to release the salaries by March 31 the pay dues to the masters have not been released till date said Maheshwar Prasad, a representative of All J&K Ladakh Teachers Forum (AJKLTF).
Sources said that State Government was hopeful that Centre will accede to its proposal by enhancing the salaries but its difficulties increased after the Centre turned down the proposal.
Admitting that Centre has not agreed to pay the balance amount , the Director School Education, Simrandeep Singh said the Government has not taken any decision yet how to meet the problem and pay the balance amount to these teachers as the State will continue to get Rs 27,160 salary per master from Centre under RMSA scheme.
He said there are about 900 to 1000 teachers working under the scheme in various schools. The Government has not taken a decision as how to pay the balance amount to these teachers, he added.
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