The Primary and Secondary Education Minister of Karnataka S Suresh Kumar has requested the government school teachers to donate their two days’ salary to private school teachers, who are in distress during the Covid-19 pandemic. He made a request at a meeting with members of the government school teachers’ association but the members are yet to discuss come to a decision.

If the government school teachers (high school and primary) donate their one day’s salary, it will come up to Rs 40 crore. Due to the requests from the private school teachers seeking financial support from the government, the minister made the appeal to the government school teachers as the government itself is in a financial crisis.

Earlier, an all-India organisation of private schools wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi requesting him to allot funds to education institutes so that they could pay salaries to their staff and manage other expenses such as rent, instalment of various bank loans, maintenance, electricity and water bills and property taxes.

Syed Shamael Ahmad, president of the Private Schools and Children Welfare Association wrote to PM that their staff are on the verge of starvation despite working hard to provide online education. The association, headquartered in Patna, claims to have around 2 lakh members across the country. Addressing media at a press conference, Ahmad said similar letters requesting funds to pay salaries will be sent by officials and teachers of its private school members to the PMO. PMO is likely to receive 20 lakh letters by June 30, he said.

Source: Deccan Herald