Ranchi, March 8: Jharkhand Education Tribunal (JET) notwithstanding, majority of private schools in the state are exploiting teachers despite charging hefty fees from students.

According to the CBSE norms, an untrained primary school teacher should begin with a gross monthly salary of Rs 6,788, while a trained teacher should get Rs 9,820, let alone secondary and Plus II teachers, who are entitled to much better pay-scales.

Private schools are required to give salary to teachers according to laid down pay scales by the respective state governments, but even reputed private schools in Jharkhand hardly give Rs 5,000 to untrained teachers, while less than 6,500 to trained primary teachers.

Even the prestigious DAV group of schools does not give prescribed DA, while not giving HRA to its teachers at all. Besides, it takes written as well as interview from serving untrained teachers, who get BEd degrees mainly to get prescribed pay scale.

A teacher of DAV group of schools in Ranchi said she is teaching for the past six years, but hardly gets gross salary of Rs 5,500 a month despite having a BEd degree. Untrained teachers get Rs 5,000, while trained get less than Rs 7,500 gross monthly salary, she added.

On condition of anonymity, another teacher said employees, who dare to speak against management, are ruthlessly transferred to rural areas.

An untrained teacher of Bridgeford School said she got Rs 5,000 a month. “Our school gives only 15 per cent DA, but it should be called a decent salary as many of my friends working for other private schools are getting Rs 2000 to Rs 2,500 a month,” she said.

Jharkhand regional director of DAV group of schools L.R. Saini claimed their salary structure is slightly different and they give DA according to the financial condition of the particular school.

Saini said only the basic salary is compulsory and it was not binding on schools to give stipulated DA and HRA. He said they do not give HRA to teachers and claimed schools in urban areas give full DA.

Allahabad regional office of CBSE said schools pledge to give prescribed salary at the time of seeking affiliation and they are bound to give full dues. “We will take action, if we get complaints,” said an assistant secretary of the council.

A senior HRD official said most of the private schools exploit their teachers since they only claim on paper to be giving prescribed pay scales.

Jharkhand educational tribunal under-secretary Kali Baitha said JET has been formed to ensure that the students, parents or teachers are not exploited, but action can be taken only, if the victims lodge cases.