COIMBATORE: Despite the state government's order mandating a response on petitioner's status within 30 days, there have been allegations that most officers in the School Education Department do not comply with the order.
Petitioners have urged the School Education Department secretary to direct all its subordinate officers to follow the Chief Secretary's instructions regarding procedures for handling grievance petitions.
In a letter, Chief Secretary N Muruganandam said an acknowledgement copy should be sent immediately and at the latest, within three days of receipt of grievance petitions.
Grievance should be addressed within a maximum period of one month from its receipt, and it should be with a speaking order in the event of a redressal or rejection, if found necessary
In case, additional time is required for its finalisation for some reasons, the petitioner should be informed in writing of the extended period of time for its finalisation. In case it is found unfeasible to accede to the petitioner’s request, a reasoned reply may be issued within the stipulated time limit of one month," the letter had stated.
R Rajkumar, a petitioner from Virudhunagar district, told TNIE that his mother, who worked at a government-aided middle school in Rajapalayam block as a secondary grade teacher, was not paid her salary from 2000 to 2004 due to alleged ‘internal politics’ at the school.
He said his mother passed away in 2012, and his father filed a case regarding the pending salaries before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, which directed in 2023 that the School Education Department should pay the salary.
"Despite the court's direction, my father ran from pillar to post to get it, but he passed away last week. Before that, on June 23, 2025, he had submitted a petition to the Sivakasi District Educational Officer (Primary) seeking release of the salary as per the court's order," he said.
He said neither he nor his father received any acknowledgement, reply letter, or verbal communication from the District Education Office at Sivakasi. Further, he alleged that the educational officers refused to obey the Chief Secretary's order.
Another petitioner, Mayadevi Shankar, the state president of the All-Private Schools Welfare Association, told TNIE that she had submitted a petition to the district administration and Coimbatore district School Education Department on June 1, urging them to close unapproved playschools operating illegally.
She said that for the last two months, she has not received any acknowledgment, status updates, or communication regarding the petition from either the district administration or educational officials, adding that even subordinate officers do not respect the Chief Secretary's direction.
A top officer in the School Education Department told TNIE he would look into the issue.