COIMBATORE: Over 30,000 sanitary workers who clean toilets in government schools in rural areas across the state have not been paid salary for more than six months in this academic year allegedly because the department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj stopped releasing funds.
According to sources, many school headmasters and teachers give them money by spending from their pockets.
K Solachi (55) of Thiyagarajapuram at Sankarapuram block in Kallakurichi district told TNIE she has been working at the middle school in the village for more than 10 years. “During last academic year, out of 12 months, the panchayat paid salary for only six months. Rs 9,000 salary for the remaining six months was not paid. I have been meeting officers frequently regarding this, but to no avail. Since the beginning of this academic year, I have not been paid salary. I have to get Rs 18,000 for 12 months,” she said.
She said without salary, she could not meet food and medical expenses and eats noon meal at school.
Like Solachi, around 30,000 sanitary workers are facing this situation across the state. K Thirupathi, an activist in Kallakurichi told TNIE that despite appealing about this issue, the officers of the rural department did not address it.
“A meagre sum of Rs 1,000 is given to workers in primary schools which is not enough to live with dignity. The government should increase the salary to at least Rs 5,000,” he said.
A headmaster of a panchayat union middle school in Thondamuthur block in Coimbatore said they did not receive funds for the employees from panchayat for one-and-a-half year.
“We have two toilets in the school. I have been providing Rs 3,000 per month to a worker from my salary,” he said. He said that except for a few schools in the block, workers are reliant on the salary provided by the panchayat.
R Kanagaraj of Tamil Nadu Primary School Teacher Federation at Karamadai block in Coimbatore said the department has not allocated even a single rupee for salary or toilet maintenance to schools in this academic year.
“Allocating Rs 300 for primary schools is not enough to purchase items for toilet cleaning. As even this amount has not been given, teachers spend their own money to buy these items every month,” he said.
When contacted, a block development officer in Coimbatore said funds have been stopped by the rural department since this March. He said there is no possibility of giving salary and maintenance funds to schools due to the lack of general funds in the panchayats.
He added that around Rs 80 lakh is required in an academic year to provide salary and toilet maintenance funds to 671 government schools in 12 blocks in the Coimbatore district.
When asked about it, director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj P Ponniah said that the directorate has taken steps to release the funds soon.