Teachers of Silchar Collegiate School launch indefinite strike due to non-payment of salaries, Half Yearly exams disrupted

The teachers of Silchar Collegiate School commenced an indefinite strike today due to non-payment of pending salaries, coinciding with the first day of the Half-Yearly examinations. As a result the students who had prepared for the exam had to go back to their homes because of lack of communication from the school administration.

It maybe mentioned that after a corruption case concerning the school came to fore, the Deputy Commisioner of Cachar Rohan Kumar Jha formed a new governing body of SCS by delegating responsibility to the Additional Deputy Commissioner. However, this move faced legal opposition, with petitioners arguing that the Deputy Commissioner lacked the authority to interfere in the affairs of a private institution. The Guwahati High Court eventually ruled in favor of the petitioners, effectively quashing the Deputy Commissioner’s governing body.

This legal tussle left SCS without a functional governing body, resulting in mounting unpaid bills due to lack of a signatory. To address the situation, the High Court intervened on August 1, instructing the Inspector of Schools, “to look into the academic/administrative and financial functioning of the School till the final
disposal of” the writ petition.

On August 9, the Inspector of Schools took charge of the school administration and later disbursed the pending salaries of teachers from April to June month. However, she declined to pay the salaries of 11 teachers who were newly recruited in January, 2023 despite receiving appointment letters from the school. Hence, the newly recruited teachers were working diligently without receiving any salary for the last six months.

The Headmistress of SCS informed that the school was fully prepared to conduct the Half Yearly Examinations from today onwards. However, the newly recruited teachers under the aegis of SCS Teacher’s and Staff Association informed the Inspector of Schools through a letter that they would not be able to perform their duties anymore without payment of salary. This move was also backed by other teachers whose salaries were outstanding for three months. The letter was copied to the Headmistress of SCS, DC Cachar and DDC Cachar.

The Headmistress further apprised that on August 28, the Inspector of Schools entrusted the academic charge to the Assistant Headmistress, thus making her responsible for dissemination of information about the teachers’ strike to the guardians and students which she did not.

An assistant teacher of SCS revealed that multiple letters addressing the salary issue were dispatched to the Inspector of Schools, but none received a response from her ever.

Commenting on the unexpected disruption, a concerned guardian stated, “We arrived at the school with our children, unaware of the strike. We later learned that the teachers initiated a strike due to unpaid salaries. We hope that the teachers’ concerns can be resolved swiftly, as Silchar Collegiate School holds a prominent reputation in Barak Valley, and the parents stand ready to provide support if necessary.”

While speaking to reporters, the protesting teachers informed that they had prepared all the students for the half yearly exams including completion of courses and revision without any negligence of duty. They were awaiting a response from the Cachar Education Department but were given none, prompting them to take the extreme step. However, they still assured to conduct the exam in the interest of students and perform invigilation duty if their dues were paid.