Outrage Among Madarsa Teachers Over Non-Payment of Salaries for Five Months: Bihar Madarsa Teachers and Welfare Association Submits Memorandum to Chief Minister via District Education Officer; Teachers and Non-Teaching Staff Grappling with Financial Distress
Purnia/Patna: Teachers and non-teaching staff teaching in the madarsas of Bihar are currently facing a grave financial crisis. Working teachers across madarsas statewide have been pushed to the verge of starvation due to non-receipt of salaries for the past five consecutive months. Expressing deep resentment over this severe issue, teachers and staff under the banner of the 'Bihar Madarsa Teachers and Welfare Association' united to stage a strong protest in front of the office of the District Education Officer (DEO).
A delegation of the association submitted a memorandum addressed to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Bihar through the DEO, pleading for the immediate disbursement of pending salaries. The teachers warned that if their demands are not fulfilled soon, they will be compelled to launch a large-scale statewide agitation. Let us review the detailed account of this entire sequence of events and the plight of the teachers.
What Is the Whole Matter? The Agony of Non-Payment of Salaries for Five Months
In the aided and recognized madarsas of the state, thousands of teachers and non-teaching staff have found it difficult to light fires in their kitchens for the past five months. Contrary to the claims of the government and the education department, the ground reality is that these teachers are not receiving their salaries on time.
Teachers Empty-Handed for Long: Expressing anger, madarsa teachers stated that not a single penny of salary has entered their accounts for the last five months. They are forced to borrow money or extend their hands before others to manage festivals, religious occasions, and everyday expenses.
Crisis of Family Sustenance: Running a household for five months without a salary in this era of inflation is no less than an ordeal. The school and college fees of many teachers' children remain unpaid, while some ailing teachers lack even the money to purchase their prescribed medicines.
Mental Stress and Depression: Due to persistent financial crunch and administrative apathy, madarsa teachers are falling victim to severe mental stress and depression, which directly impacts their teaching efficiency.
Key Highlights of the Memorandum: Appeal Made to the Chief Minister
The memorandum submitted to the District Education Officer by the Bihar Madarsa Teachers and Welfare Association raises the following major demands:
Immediate Disbursement of Five Months' Arrears: The pending salaries of the past five months must be disbursed in a lump sum directly into the bank accounts of madarsa teachers and non-teaching personnel via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) without any delay.
System for Regular Salary Payment: A permanent and streamlined system should be developed for madarsa teachers so that their salaries are credited to their accounts on a fixed date every month, akin to teachers in other government schools.
Curbing Administrative Red Tape in Grants and Financial Allocations: The association alleged that due to poor coordination between the education and finance departments or bureaucratic red tape in files, the budget and salary amounts for madarsa education fail to be released on time.
Association Leaders Issue a Blunt Warning
During the submission of the memorandum, the president and other key office-bearers of the association explicitly warned administrative officials that the patience of the teachers is running thin.
Allegations of Exploitation and Discrimination: Leaders asserted that while teachers in other schools receive salaries on time, step-motherly treatment is meted out to madarsa teachers and staff. Are madarsa personnel not citizens of this state? Do they not have children?
Warning of Uugra Agitation: If the education department fails to initiate the salary disbursement process within the next few days, the Madarsa Teachers and Welfare Association will be forced to launch phased agitations statewide—such as sit-ins, protests, and hunger strikes—the complete responsibility for which will rest with the governance and administration.
Stance and Assurance of the District Education Officer
Upon receiving the association's memorandum, the District Education Officer (DEO) gave a patient hearing to the delegation's concerns.
Assurance to Convey Matters to the Government: The DEO assured the teachers that state headquarters, senior education department officials, and the government have been apprised of their demands and the severe situation arising from non-payment of salaries for five months.
Expectation of Swift Resolution: Administrative authorities assured that as soon as allocations arrive, the salary withdrawal process will be completed expeditiously to relieve teachers from this financial crisis.
This memorandum submitted to the Chief Minister through the District Education Officer by the Bihar Madarsa Teachers and Welfare Association over non-payment of salaries for five months raises a serious question mark on the state's educational framework. On one hand, the government talks of the right to education and a digital Bihar, while on the other hand, gurus and madarsa teachers spreading the light of knowledge are forced to wander from pillar to post for their rightful salaries. The need of the hour is for the state government to personally intervene in this sensitive matter and immediately ensure the disbursement of arrears to madarsa personnel, safeguarding their livelihoods.
