East Delhi Municipal Corporation teachers move Delhi HC over pending salaries

Several teachers moved to Delhi High Court on Thursday seeking direction to East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) to pay petitioners and all other teachers their pending salaries of the last five months that is from December 2021 to April 2022.

Five teachers of EDMC schools through Advocates Ashok Aggarwal and Kumar Utkarsh submitted that there are approximately 5,000 primary teachers working in as many as 365 primary schools run by respondent EDMC and none of the said 5,000 primary teachers including petitioners have been paid their due salaries since December 2021 and onwards till date and their families are facing serious financial problems due to that. They are unable to pay their children's school fees, EMIs, run their kitchen, etc.

The petitioners submitted that the primary schools being run by respondent EDMC are governed by the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009. It is submitted that in terms of Section 7 of the RTE Act, 2009, it is the joint responsibility of the central government as well as the state government to provide funds for carrying out the provisions of the Act.

The petitioner submitted that the respondents by inefficient functioning have created an artificial crunch of funds making it an excuse for not paying or delaying payment of salaries to its employees.

The plea further submitted that petitioners through their Association have made several representations to respondent EDMC for payment of their due salaries but all went in vain.

The petition further submitted that in case of respondent EDMC is unable to pay salaries to its hardworking primary teachers, the best alternative would be to hand over all primary schools run by respondent EDMC to the respondent Government of NCT of Delhi for running the same.

It is also submitted that in case these schools are transferred to the respondent Government of NCT of Delhi, it would not only ensure regular payment of salaries to its employees (Teachers) but also there would be a remarkable improvement in the standard of education. Nearly 1 lakh students are presently studying in 365 EDMC Primary schools.

( With inputs from ANI )