J&K SSA Teachers Let Down as Benefits of Seventh Pay Commission Still Denied

In a big breakthrough, the state government of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday announced a relief package for the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) teachers in the state. However, the sentiments on the ground tell another tale, “They ditched us, we had called off our protests after peaceful negotiations with the governor. The SSA and RMSA are fooling the head masters once again as the salaries being given out to us are being released for the month of July in accordance with the 6th Pay Commission and not the 7th as promised,” said Abdul Qayoom Wani who is leading the Teacher’s Joint Action Committee (TJAC).

The series of broken promises have enormous consequences for over 1 lakh teachers and their families. Questions are raised over not just the apathy of the government but the irregularities plaguing the state’s bureaucracy as well. 

Wani explained that the backlog of the salaries in the state is a whopping Rs. 1,300 crore, and the state’s relief package in the light of the rightful amount due to the teachers comes across as an eyewash meant to appease them. 

Lies and Broken Promises

The move is reportedly deemed as a big U turn by the government as the governor on September 27, had assured the teachers that their salaries will be credited from September 18. Following this, the protesting teachers had finally ended their 25-day fast and over 5 month long struggle to stake claim to their rights. 

Also Read: J&K Governor Agrees to SSA Teachers’ Demands

Wani said, “In the light of these developments, we will be compelled to be on the streets all over again and fight the battle with the state.” 

An order released for the relief fund explicitly states that “deviation of funds from one object of expenditure to another is not allowed. The salary shall be released only to the SSA teachers after fulfilling all the codal formalities.”

The teachers who were protesting in Pratap Park since September 3, were demanding the delinking of their salaries from the Union Ministry of Human Resource and Development funds. 

Initial protests had erupted in the state after PDP leader Syed Altaf Bukhari had declined the 7th Pay Commission benefits to the SSA teachers earlier this year.

The governor’s advisor Ahmad Ganai had previously highlighted “[T]he implementation of the 7th Pay Commission scales had a financial burden on the state government because the government of India had merged the erstwhile SSA and RMSA schemes into a new Samagra Shiksha scheme due to which the allocation was curtailed across the country.”

Protesting teachers facing the wrath of water cannons.

The negligence on the part of the state and its apathy towards the teachers was revealed best when the teachers were fired with water cannons and lathis during their protests last month.  Repercussions like the loss of an academic year for the students in the state are also looming large. 

Why did the Protests Start?

The teachers have maintained that they were recruited following a transparent process organised by the Staff Selection Board (SSB), under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA). Until about 5 months ago, the teachers were also given regular salaries and promotions like the other state government employees. 

However, a mix up in the government policy caused the denial of salaries and the benefits of the 7th Pay Commission because of which the teachers had to launch a movement against the state.

Also Read: No Relief for Protesting SSA Teachers in Jammu and Kashmir

The teachers who were initially recruited under the SSA schemes were later absorbed and promoted to the Upper Primary School (UPS) level, instead of filling up those vacancies. Another glitch led the SSA teachers to be treated at par with the Rehbar-e-Taleem teachers, who were appointed on a contractual basis, as they had the highest qualification from a particular village.

Wani added that, “All officials who have contributed to the discrepancies in the administration must be held accountable and action needs to be taken against them.” 

The teachers are now staring at a renewed agitation ahead.