Himachal Pradesh: Notice issued to hiring company over unpaid arrears to vocational teachers

SHIMLA: A notice has been issued to one out of the 17 companies which failed to pay arrears to vocational subject teachers on time, Himachal Pradesh education minister Rohit Thakur said on Tuesday. On Monday, vocational subject teachers in the state suspended classes and held a dharna at Chaura Maidan here to protest against delayed salaries and unpaid arrears.

The teachers are demanding immediate dismissal of the service provider companies that hired them, along with timely payment of salaries and arrears, said Ashwani Datwalia, President, Vocational Teacher Association. Thakur said that barring one or two states, vocational teachers are being hired through private companies in most states, adding that while the Himachal government is considerate towards them, they cannot be hired directly due to financial constraints. "A notice has been issued to one out of the 17 companies which failed to pay arrears to the vocational subject teachers on time," he said.

Vocational education in Himachal Pradesh was introduced in 2013, and the teachers were hired through private companies. Currently, there are 2,164 vocational teachers in over 1,100 government schools, catering to about 80,000 students in classes 9-12, Datwalia said. On October 5, the Directorate of Education directed the concerned companies to pay the arrears by October 20, but some failed to comply, he added.