Pune Education Department Issues Salary Cut Warning Amid December 5 School Shutdown Threat
Pune Education Department Issues Salary Cut Warning Amid December 5 School Shutdown Threat
Amid calls for a statewide school shutdown on December 5, Pune’s Education Department has issued a strict warning to all schools. Principals, teachers, and non-teaching staff will face a deduction of one day’s salary if they participate in closing their schools during the protest organized by various teacher and staff groups.
Several organizations are pushing for the shutdown to highlight long-pending demands. Key issues include filing a review petition regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), restoring the previous pension scheme for teachers and staff, abolishing the Shikshan Sevak scheme in favor of a regular pay scale, and immediate recruitment of non-teaching personnel. While many teachers’ unions, staff associations, and school management bodies are backing the protest, some groups have opted out.
Dr. Mahesh Palkar, Director of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, has instructed that all schools—government, aided, partially aided, and private—must remain open on December 5. The notice stresses that staff who join the shutdown will face salary deductions, and compliance reports from schools must be submitted promptly.
Supporting the protest, Ravindra Fadnavis, President of the Maharashtra State Educational Institutions Corporation, stated that the closure is necessary to draw attention to the crisis in the education sector. He noted that government policies have negatively impacted Marathi-medium schools and rural education, warning that a stronger protest could follow if demands are ignored.
Despite the ongoing dispute, the Education Department insists that student welfare must remain the priority. Officials highlighted the importance of keeping schools open to prevent academic disruption, especially in rural areas with limited teacher availability.
