Patna, Nov. 20: Private school teachers want the state government to regularise their salaries, as the institutions jump on to the registration bandwagon. The state has, however, shifted its onus to the Centre.

Disparity in salary structures and financial irregularities are a common feature with private schools in the state. The human resource development (HRD) department, however, is unable to lend a helping hand to the academics.

HRD department deputy director R.S. Singh said: “At present, the state government does not have any plan to regularise the teachers’ salaries. We just want a record of the number of schools registered with us across the state, the infrastructure at these institutions and whether the teachers at the schools are trained or not. If the central government makes any changes in the salary structure or regularises fees charged by private schools, we would take steps to keep checks on the same.”

The self-declaration-cum-application form for the state’s recognition to the private schools up to Class VIII has a number of details (see table). The list includes the salary structure of primary and secondary teachers, though.

A teacher at a private school in the city told The Telegraph: “I have been serving the school for 10 years. I am paid according to the school’s income. In the last 10 years, my salary has gone up by only Rs 10,000. However, there are other teachers, who have served for the same time but whose salaries have increased by only Rs 5,000-6,000.”

Admitting that the school’s income was not enough to pay the teachers a regularised salary, the faculty member said the state government should give such institutes time to regularise salaries and pay the teachers better.

However, while disparity in salaries plague some private schools, some institutions go down a different path. Some CBSE-affiliated schools send salary records of teachers according to the board’s pay grade during renewal, while the actual payment varies. The salaries of ICSE teachers also vary. Although the board does not have a pay grade, it insists salaries of the teachers are on a par with government schools.

A teacher at a CBSE-affiliated school said: “My school pays me around Rs 16,500. But it also takes a bearer cheque of Rs 6,000 from me every month. The school is actually resorting to double standards while recording our salaries.”

On the details to be furnished by private schools for registration, chairperson of Bihar State Child Rights Protection Commission Nisha Jha said not all the points apply to private schools. Some are meant for the government schools. Jha said: “Even if the private schools do not fulfil the conditions for registration, they would be given three years for the same.”