Uncertainty Over April Salary: SC Verdict Invalidates 25,752 Appointments

SNS, April 5, 2025 : Uncertainty looms over the salary for the month of April for 26,000 teachers and Group C and D staff in government-aided secondary and higher secondary schools, whose appointments were cancelled by the Supreme Court on Thursday on charges of gross manipulation and cover-up during their recruitment process.

About 1,325 higher secondary schools in the state are staring at a grim prospect created by the void of teachers who have become ineligible to teach due to the SC verdict. In the state, around 5,426 secondary schools, claimed a source, are presently facing a teacher shortage, especially in subjects like mathematics, physics, and Bengali.

According to a liberal estimate, the non-teaching staff crunch will also trouble schools in managing daily administration. About 2,215 schools are likely to be affected due to Group C staff crunch, while a little over 3,885 schools would feel the pinch due to Group D staff shortage.

With the salary requisition deadline of 10 April approaching, no guidance has been issued by the state education department, leaving school heads confused about how to proceed. 

As per the existing process, schools send requisitions for the salary of their teachers and other staff to the education department by the 10th of every month. Usually, teaching and non-teaching staff receive their salary on the last day of every month.

But this time, the matter has become complicated following the apex court judgment invalidating the appointments of 25,752 teachers and other employees associated with schools in the city and districts.

Bikash Bhavan, the state education department headquarters at Salt Lake, has not yet provided any instructions to schools. As a result, headmasters and headmistresses are confused on how to deal with the issue barely five days ahead of the 10 April deadline to send requisitions.

Requesting anonymity, a headmaster of a higher secondary school in Howrah said: “Requisitions are uploaded to a government portal every month requesting a salary amount. This time, we could not take any initiative to start the process because of no guidelines from the government after the court verdict."