The Mumbai Junior College Teachers’ Association has resolved to take collective action against alleged corruption and irregularities in the office of the Deputy Director of Education, Mumbai. On 16 April, teachers from Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Raigad, and Palghar districts will take mass leave and assemble at Vashi Station before marching towards the Mumbai Divisional Board. There, they will submit a memorandum urging the authorities to take immediate and effective measures against those responsible.
According to the association, numerous attempts have been made to resolve longstanding issues through discussions with the Deputy Director of Education. However, despite repeated representations, their grievances remain unaddressed, leaving the teaching community exasperated. The association has pointed out that while the Education Commissioner issues directives to resolve concerns within a stipulated timeframe, years pass without any meaningful progress. Teachers allege that regulations governing their service conditions, as well as the Maharashtra State School Code, are not being followed. Additionally, workload calculations fail to account for the prescribed subject-wise teaching hours, and student enrolment figures are often misrepresented, leading to an artificial reduction in teaching positions. This, in turn, results in teachers being declared surplus or removed from service altogether.
One of the primary concerns raised by the teachers is the prolonged delay in approving salary arrears, which remain unsettled for years. Newly appointed teachers are particularly affected, as they are denied salaries due to procedural delays in appointment approvals. Minority institutions, despite the absence of any legal provision, are being compelled to obtain No Objection Certificates, leading to unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles. Furthermore, salary fixation for regular, senior, and selection grade teachers remains pending for months, allegedly due to financial irregularities and corruption. Despite repeated appeals, no remedial measures have been taken, and teachers claim that the extent of corruption has only escalated.
Teachers have also expressed concern over a rising trend where existing faculty members are removed from service and replaced with new recruits. Despite formal complaints, no action has been taken to address these forced terminations. Rather than resolving the growing discontent among educators, the Deputy Director of Education is accused of promoting irregularities, procedural lapses, and teacher dismissals. Wrongful approval of staffing positions to reduce faculty strength, denial of rightful benefits to serving teachers, and financial mismanagement while disbursing entitlements have further exacerbated resentment within the teaching community.
The teachers are calling for the elimination of bureaucratic delays and corruption in appointment approvals, particularly in minority institutions. They are demanding the immediate sanctioning of all pending appointments and the rectification of erroneous staffing approvals. Additionally, they are pressing for the prompt release of all outstanding salary arrears and a commitment to ensuring that teacher salaries are disbursed on the first of every month.
Mukund Aandhalkar, General Secretary of the Mumbai Division of the association, has stated that “the protest is a necessary step to safeguard the rights and interests of junior college teachers, who have been subjected to systemic neglect and bureaucratic inefficiencies.” He emphasised that unless decisive action is taken, the discontent among educators will only intensify, potentially disrupting the state’s education system.
