Teachers run from pillar to post for aided status

They were not paid after govts approval

On Thursday, nearly 100 teachers had camped before the Minister Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri’s chamber at Vidhana Soudha 3rd floor. But they again had to turn back disappointed as Kageri was busy attending a BJP meeting on the city outskirts.

“This is my fifth visit to Vidhana Soudha. I have not been able to meet the Minister. All administrative clearances have been obtained. But the Minister is sitting on the file for no reason,” Suresh, one of the unaided school teachers from Mysore said.

Salary withheld

The school managements, on the other end, have withheld the teachers’ monthly salary anticipating Government’s aid. Teachers, therefore, are forced to come down to Bangalore to meet the Minister and try their best to get the aid sanctioned.

Siddaraju, a teacher from Nagamangala in Mandya district, said, “The school management has not paid the salary for the last three months. Ever since the management learnt that the Government has approved aided status, it has stopped disbursing salary. I want the Minister to give me in writing whether our school will get the status or not. If yes, when”, he said.

Many of these teachers even alleged that Kageri has been delaying according aided status to schools that come under either the Congress or the JD(S) MLAs’ jurisdiction.

When contacted, Kageri said he could not clear those files till now as the model code of conduct was in place and assured that all of them will be cleared within next fortnight.

The Minister also said “I will take all these school managements to task for sending their teachers to Vidhana Soudha. It is the responsibility of the managements to get the grant in aid from the Government. Teachers have nothing to do with it,” he stated.
DH News Service