Ranchi: Around 11,000 assistant teachers appointed in government-run schools since August last year have not been paid salaries for months, leaving many grappling with acute financial hardship, office-bearers of the Jharkhand Primary Teachers Association (JPTA) said on Monday.
They said that despite several representations to the school education and literacy department as well as letters to the chief secretary, the issue has not been resolved. JPTA vice-president Amit Kumar Mahto said that on May 15, they also wrote to chief minister Hemant Soren seeking his urgent intervention.
"How can one expect a teacher to perform when they are struggling to run their houses?" Mahto questioned. He added that while the department often takes action against teachers for poor performance of students during examinations, the government must also fix accountability for alleged bureaucratic apathy.
He added that many newly recruited teachers, most of whom left other jobs or relocated for their posting, are reportedly finding it difficult to pay rent, meet daily expenses or support dependents. "Many have taken loans from relatives or other sources, while others are struggling to repay existing debt and education loans," he said.
Since August 2025, the state government hired assistant teachers in a phased manner to fill vacancies in schools for classes 1 to 8. Lalita Singh (name changed), who got her posting in December at a school in Chandil, said, "I travel daily from Jamshedpur to Chandil and back, which costs at least Rs 200 daily. I also have a family to support. But I am waiting for my first salary since I got my offer letter on September 2 last year at the state-level programme at Project Building."
Anita Mahto (name changed) added that non-academic work is adding to their burden. "Without salaries, we are now also allocated Census duty and soon we may be also engaged in SIR activities. As a government servant, we are bound to do such work, but I also have responsibility towards my family," she said, adding that her husband runs a grocery shop whose earnings are insufficient to run a family of eight, including three children.
Saket Kumar, who is posted in Ranchi, said that he had to look for a one-room residence due to funds crunch. "Earlier, I had rented a two-room house after joining work in September in Ranchi. After all my savings got exhausted, I recently chose to shift to a one-room house with my family," said Kumar, who hails from Bundu block.
According to JPTA, alleged administrative lapses in the document verification process of the recruits is one of the reasons behind the delay in disbursing salaries. "Newly recruited teachers had deposited bank drafts for certificate verification at district education offices, but they kept delaying the process. As a result, many bank drafts expired after six months. Now, authorities are demanding fresh drafts, adding to the financial burden," Mahto said, demanding that the government fix accountability.
Director of primary education Manoj Kumar Ranjan and school education and literacy department secretary Uma Shankar Singh did not respond to calls or messages for comment on the issue.
