'We were tricked': Retired KV staff seek pension

Citing that they were not shown a crucial circular several years ago, the retired staff of Kendriya Vidyalayas are seeking that they be given pension by the government on a par with other central government employees. The teachers claim that they were tricked into opting for a no-pension scheme while several others were not even aware of a circular the government had issued in 1987.

"In November 1989, the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sagathan (KVS) circulated an option form among the employees, asking them to submit whether they wanted the Central Provident Fund (CPF) or the General Provident Fund (GPF). Accordingly, a few unknowingly signed to continue in CPF. Many of us had our primary focus on academics and were not even aware that a circular was sent. The management of our schools did not bother to bring it to our notice," complained Chavan, one of the teachers fighting for pension from Bengaluru.

There are at least 100 others in the state with similar demands, he said. They claim that while the government employees from various other organisations had an option to revise their choice, the KV employees did not get one.

"The KVS replied to us quoting the Ministry of Human Resource Development that the employees who entered into service on or before March 31, 2003, and were governed by the CPF scheme are not eligible for a switch-over to the GPF–cum-pension scheme. They will continue to be governed by the CPF scheme," said another teacher. However, they claim there have been discrepancies wherein a few retired KV employees were still given a chance to switch.

The employees are now seeking another chance to join the GPF scheme, accepting that they would return the employer's share that they had received at the time of retirement. "We are ready to give them back the money. We want pension. Many of us are very old to even protest. For some of us, it is a question of financial security," said a retired teacher.