Private Schools harass teachers, flout labour laws

Working on very less salary, the plight of private school teachers is getting from bad to worse.
While the teachers are exploited with over tight schedule, they face challenges on many fronts one of which is being “out of job” any day.
“We can be thrown out anytime. There is no job security. The higher authorities can decide our fate overnight and ask us to leave next morning,” said one of the teachers, wished not to be named.
According to the Jammu and Kashmir Private School United Front -represented mostly by owners of many such schools – the schools are going to “discontinue the contract of around 15000 teachers” on accounts of the High Court order directing exemption of fees from students for the two months when devastating floods hit the valley last year.
“There are around 4200 private schools running in the valley… No doubt there is exploitation, but education as a whole has never been a concern of the government. Private schools are further going to throw out 15000 teachers after High Court decision of not taking fees from students for the months of floods. They have created an imbalance,” General Secretary, PSUF, G.N Var told .
Var said government is non-serious about private education sector. “While government spends a lot of money on the education one student, money spent here is less but quality of education is more than them …Let there be a private public partnership with the government where we give free education to government students,” Var concluded on giving the solution to this worrisome problem.
When it comes to work load – the teachers who start working with merely Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 are often asked to stay back on holidays and seasonal vacations. “Leave gazetted holidays, we are compelled to visit schools on Sundays, stay full-day on Fridays besides attend workshops in winters and what not,” grieved another such teacher.
After throwing out a teacher for ‘no reasons’, a prominent school in valley has been asked to pay a fine of Rs. 10,000 by the Directorate of School Education (DSE).
“You are directed to pay Rs. ten thousand as penalty and winter salary to the former teacher of your school. besides apologise to her for misbehaving …you are further advised to desist in future from violating the conduct rules and norms prescribed in SRO 123,” Director Education, Showket Ahmed Beigh directed.
The teacher was asked to leave soon after the schools resumed after the winter vacation saying that another teacher had been appointed at her place. “I was teaching Computer in Green Valley Educational Institute since last year and my contract was extended after which I attended all the winter workshops but the day I joined school, I was asked to leave without any notice,” wrote the teacher in a complaint letter to the DSE.
The teacher had also said that the higher authorities misbehaved and humiliated her.
“There were many teachers before who had faced the same problem and had been humiliated and demoralised.”
The practice of exploiting teachers in elite schools is also very regular even though the salaries slightly better.
Teachers also say while there are no job incentives, salary hike is a rare thing. The private schools have already come under scanner of the government over high tuition fees.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had directed the owners of private educational institutes not to increase tuition fee charged from the students.