GUNTUR: Several private teachers have lost their jobs and are facing tough times as schools have gone online for the past 16 months owing to the pandemic. There are 1,382 government integrated private in the district and about 14,000 teachers are working in those schools.
Though the schools were shut for long, the management of the schools initially provided half salaries to the teachers in the initial months of the lockdown. But as time passed on they couldn’t pay the salaries to the teachers without any income or fees. Even though the online classes were started, later on, only a few teachers were required for the task and the management preferred only experienced teachers. This left the remaining teachers with no income, work, and job security.
Bhagyamani and her husband Ishwar, who lost their teaching job at a private school, said they don’t have any other source of income. They said, “Our savings are completely over. We can’t afford the high cost of living in the city, so we are moving to our native village, where we are thinking to join our parents in farm works.”
Losing dream job and working in other fields is very depressing, said Ramarao, a teacher, now working as a salesman at a groceries stores in the city. “I was proud and satisfied with my job, but in order to survive and feed my family, I have to do other jobs. I still hope, the situation will come to normal very soon and I will be able to return to my old job,” he added.
On the other hand, many NGOs and self-help groups are providing basic help to the private teachers by distributing money and necessary monthly groceries to them. Red Cross Society-Guntur vice-chairman Ramachandra Raju said that teachers play a vital role in building society and it is everyone’s responsibility to come forward to help them in times of need.