Bihar madrasa teachers face mounting hardship as govt withholds salaries for six months
Patna: Teachers of government-aided madrasas in Bihar are facing prolonged financial hardship amid allegations of discriminatory treatment and administrative neglect, as the state government has withheld their salaries for the past six months, leaving them struggling to meet even their most basic needs.
According to Kashmir Media Service, despite repeated protests and representations to state ministers and public representatives, the government has yet to release the pending salaries, deepening distress among the teaching community.
Zahidur Rahman, General Secretary of the Madrasa Teachers’ and Welfare Association (MTWS), Bihar, said the prolonged salary freeze had pushed many teachers into debt and severe financial difficulties. He said most madrasa teachers belonged to low-income families and depeneded entirely on their government salaries to support their households.
Rahman said many teachers had been forced to borrow money, while bank officials were pressing them to repay loans and shopkeepers had stopped extending credit due to mounting unpaid bills. He added that teachers were struggling to pay for their children’s education, medical treatment and other essential needs.
Calling the prolonged withholding of salaries unfair treatment of madrasa teachers, Rahman said payments had initially been withheld pending an inquiry into madrasas. He said the inquiry had been completed two months ago, but the government had still not released the teachers’ salaries.
Earlier, the Madrasa Development Organization (MDO) held a press conference in Patna, joined by teachers from madrasas. Manazirul Islam, the MDO State Spokesperson, said the plight of teachers who have been waiting for their salaries for six months can no longer be ignored.
He warned that if the government failed to take a positive decision on the teachers’ demands by the end of this month, the organisation will be compelled to stage a sit-in protest.
