Junior college teachers from the Mumbai Division have threatened to intensify their protests, including going on a strike from May 7 and later escalating to a ‘jail bharo andolan’ in the coming weeks, after staging a sit-in protest at Azad Maidan on Friday over alleged unresolved issues with the Deputy Director of Education’s office.
The Mumbai Regional Junior College Teachers’ Organisation (MRJCTU), representing teachers from Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, Thane, Raigad, and Palghar districts, has accused the Deputy Director of Education, Mumbai, Sandeep Sangave, of administrative inefficiency, deliberate delays, and corruption in the functioning of his office.
In a formal statement submitted to the Maharashtra School Education Minister, Dadaji Bhuse, the MRJCTU reiterated its long-standing demands, citing lack of concrete response to its protest notice dated March 21 last year.
The association alleged that despite the submission of a memorandum in April and a subsequent sit-in at Azad Maidan on Friday, no representative from the state government made any effort to engage with the protesting teachers. “We staged a sit-in protest, but nobody from the government’s side visited us. As part of the next course of action, we are going to hold a ‘jail-bharo andolan’ at a later date, which will be conveyed in due time,” Prof. Mukund Andhalkar, general secretary of MRJCTU, told The Free Press Journal.
The memorandum submitted by the association stated, “Even after issuing a warning notice and conducting a symbolic march, the department has failed to take any meaningful corrective steps. Files remain pending, rules have been blatantly violated, workload calculations are incorrect, and appointments are being deliberately withheld despite fulfilment of all criteria.”
It further alleged, “salary arrears have not been paid, and instead, funds sanctioned by the government have been returned to the treasury, showcasing clear financial mismanagement.”
The association has alleged that the Deputy Director’s office has failed to approve legitimate teacher appointments, denied salary disbursements without justification, and neglected to verify service records in a timely manner.
According to the MRJCTU, numerous junior college teachers across the Mumbai Division are still awaiting approval of appointments made as far back as 2012. According to the memorandum, while teachers continue to fulfil their duties, they remain unpaid, and in many cases, government-sanctioned funds have been inexplicably returned to the state treasury instead of being used to settle dues.
The association has also raised serious concerns about the manipulation of workload calculations and student enrolment figures in order to justify reduction of teaching staff, and claims that some teachers have been wrongfully terminated.
The memorandum also criticised coercive practices within the department, stating, “Teachers are being harassed by demanding No Objection Certificates from minority institutions even when such requirements are not legally mandated. This is an overreach and has no basis in rules.”
It went on to add, “Despite submitting complete documentation, newly appointed teachers are being denied salary approval for years, pushing them into severe financial hardship. The psychological toll on these educators is immense.”
Teachers have further complained of delays in salary fixation, inconsistent implementation of the Maharashtra State Teaching and Non-Teaching Staff Rules, and repeated violations of the School Code. The MRJCTU has asserted that despite fulfilling all eligibility requirements and submitting complete documentation, newly recruited teachers have been left without salary approval for extended periods, leading to acute financial hardship.
The organisation has demanded an immediate departmental inquiry against the concerned officers in the Deputy Director’s office, along with a complete overhaul of the approval and grant disbursement process. “The current system is opaque and arbitrary. There is no accountability, and teachers are made to run from pillar to post for basic entitlements,” the memorandum noted.
They have also called for pending salary arrears to be paid without further delay, and for all legitimate appointments to be recognised from the date of joining, with due consideration for seniority and associated benefits. They have urged the government to put an end to the financial mismanagement that has led to delays in disbursing salaries despite budgetary allocations being available.
The protest at Azad Maidan follows weeks of growing unrest among junior college teachers in the region, who marched to the Education Board office last month to submit a detailed memorandum.
