Patna: The teachers and non-teaching staff of different universities and colleges in Bihar have not been paid their salaries since March, creating acute financial hardships for them and their family members. Expressing concern over the delay in disbursement of monthly salaries and even pensions to working and retired staff, the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations of Bihar (Futab) pointed out that university staff are always punished without any fault of their own.
Teachers Transferred but Unpaid
Futab noted that while the governor-cum-chancellor has asked teachers to engage at least five classes every day, and universities have transferred hundreds of teachers to newly started degree colleges in over 200 blocks, the state education department has withheld salary payments for the last two months. “How will these transferred teachers fulfill their responsibilities at new places of work without having money?” asked Futab working president Kanhaiya Bahadur Sinha and general secretary Sanjay Kumar Singh, MLC.
Finance Department Objections
State higher education director N K Agrawal told this newspaper that the file relating to salary grants is pending with the finance department, which has raised objections on some points. The main objection to allotting fresh grants for 2026-27 is the non-submission of utilization certificates of previous grants by universities. Moreover, three to four universities, including Patna University, have not yet sent their annual budgets approved by statutory bodies. Agrawal, however, said the education department is seized of the issue and has requested the finance department to clear the pending files, even conditionally, so that salary grants may be released.
Pension Woes and Unheeded Suggestions
The teacher leaders further pointed out that they had earlier urged the government to emulate the Madhya Pradesh model for ensuring regular payment of pensions to retired university staff, who need the money most for medical expenses. Even the present chief secretary was reportedly convinced of this suggestion, but nothing has been done so far, they rued.
