Teachers of Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas without salary for 3 months

Shillong, Nov 10: The teaching and non-teaching staff at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) in Meghalaya have gone without salaries for three months.

 BJP Tura MDC Bernard N Marak warned that the non-payment since August has reached a critical stage, with staff struggling to meet basic household expenses while continuing to run hostels and classrooms for vulnerable girls.

Despite receiving no remuneration, staff have continued to report for duty to ensure uninterrupted education for girls from SC, ST, OBC and BPL families, the core mandate of the KGBV scheme.

The prolonged delay has triggered severe financial hardship, with many educators, who are sole breadwinners for their families, finding it difficult to pay rent, meet medical expenses and pay their own children’s school fees.

Because KGBVs are residential institutions, the crisis is spilling directly into students’ daily lives, with funding bottlenecks threatening basic amenities needed to maintain a safe, healthy and supportive boarding environment.

“We have continued to give our 100% to these classrooms because we care deeply about the future of our girls, but three months without a single paycheck is pushing us to the brink,” a senior KGBV teacher said on condition of anonymity. “We are struggling to pay for transit to get to work, let alone sustain our families. If the staff is burnt out and financially broken, it directly impairs the quality of care and education we can offer our residential students.”

Representatives and welfare committees have urged the State Project Director to expedite the release of pending grants, seeking immediate clearance of all three months of salary arrears, a streamlined fund-disbursal mechanism to ensure salaries are credited without delay in future, and immediate allocation of operational grants to prevent disruption in student meals, medical care and campus safety.

Without immediate intervention, the systemic stress risks forcing administrative disruption and staff protests, jeopardising the academic calendar and well-being of thousands of girls who depend on these schools.