Jamshedpur, Feb. 22: Teachers of minority schools in East Singhbhum are an aggrieved lot. They have not been getting their salaries since April 2007.

Salaries of teachers of over 38 middle schools and 18 secondary schools are stuck at the district education office in East Singhbhum after objections were raised by the district accounts office.

“We can give them their salaries if they are ready to accept old pay-scale. But they are demanding money according to their revised pay-scale,” said Nirja Kujur, the district education officer.

According to her, an objection has been raised on the salaries of teachers from the district accounts officer. “Unless that is withdrawn, we cannot give the money according to the latest pay-scale,” added Kujur.

But the teachers aren’t convinced.

They believe it’s a “conspiracy” against them. Earlier, salaries used to be delayed. Then, things improved and even looked up with a revision in their pay-scale.

Now, salaries are embroiled in a new controversy.

“We are not going to sit quietly, a decision has to be arrived at,” said an office-bearer of the Jharkhand Secondary Minority Teachers’ Association, whose executive committee met at the ADLS Sunshine Hindi School to discuss the issue.

With the matriculation and intermediate examinations having started, they decided not to do anything that could harm the students’ interests.

“Students’ future would not be jeopardised. We will ensure they answer their examinations in a peaceful environment. Our agitation will begin after that,” said a teacher of a minority secondary school in Parsudih.

Significantly, government orders to despatch the salaries had reached the district education office in September 2007 and the amount was duly credited two months later in December.

Kujur, however, clarified her department had written to the office of the secondary education director to intervene in the matter.