Teachers on contract at elementary schools will get their salaries that have been pending for three months.

At least 2.5 lakh such teachers are deprived of their salary for October, November and December because of non-release of funds under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) from the Centre.

However, the teachers ensured their students did not suffer continuing classes without salary even in the festive months.

A few days ago, the Centre has released Rs 771 crore as part of the second instalment under the SSA head.

Education department official Amit Kumar said: "The state government, after contributing its share, which would be about Rs 524 crore, would release the salaries for three months to teachers."

Sources said the teachers would get their due withina week.

Welcoming the government initiative, Rekha Kumari, a teacher on contract at Government Middle School Davaichh, Patepur block, Vaishali district, said: "It is good news that the Centre has released its share under the SSA. Now, we expect that we will get our salaries soon."

The teacher also said that owing to non-payment of salaries for three months, they are facing hardship in meeting their basic requirements, including paying tuition fees of their children.

Apart from various teachers on contract association pressuring the government for release of salaries, even the Bihar Human Rights Commission (BHRC) had cracked the whip by taking suo-motu cognisance of the matter and issuing notices to the principal secretary of the education department and state SSA project director.

The total annual budget for the SSA in Bihar is Rs 7,300 crore of which around Rs 4,800 crore is spent on payment of salaries to teachers. As per the current norms, the Centre: state expenditure share on the SSA is 60:40. Earlier, the Centre:state share was 65:35. Of present 60:40 share, the Centre's share comes up to Rs 4,400 crore while the state has to pay Rs 2,900 crore. Of Rs 4,400 crore central share, the Centre, in its first instalment, paid Rs 1,700 crore and Rs 7,71 crore as part of second instalment, meaning the state still requires Rs 1,929 crore to meet its requirement under the SSA.

The sources said the Centre released its second instalment only after the education department had submitted utilisation certificate and audit report on its spending of the SSA fund from the Centre.