Union to Observe ‘Black Diwali’

Hoshiarpur/ Daljeet Ajnoha/Oct 17 Thousands of teachers and staff members in Punjab’s government-aided schools have reportedly gone without salaries for the past seven months, sparking widespread discontent ahead of the festive season. In protest, the employees’ union has announced that they will hold a demonstration in Tarn Taran on October 18, observing a “Black Diwali” to draw attention to their plight.According to Gurmeet Singh Madanipur, state president of the Punjab State Government-Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union, and its state secretary Sharanjit Singh Kadimajra, several rounds of meetings have been held with officials from the Education and Finance Departments, as well as with ministers. However, salary grants have not been released since March 2025. The leaders alleged that the department has withheld the grants citing pending audits of school management committees, even though there is a shortage of audit staff to carry out such reviews.Union representatives claimed that teachers are being unfairly penalized due to bureaucratic inefficiency, calling the situation unprecedented since 1967. They accused the state government of deliberately trying to undermine aided schools.Madanipur and Kadimajra lamented that teachers are being forced to celebrate major festivals like Dussehra and Diwali without pay. The prolonged delay in salary disbursements has left many employees in dire financial condition, they said, adding that the government’s claims of leading an “education revolution” ring hollow in the face of such neglect.Despite repeated appeals to ministers and departmental officials, no concrete action has been taken, the union leaders asserted. Madanipur called the withholding of salaries an “inhuman act” and a “grave injustice” to the educated community. The union has also urged the Human Rights Commission to hold concerned officials accountable for the delay in releasing salary grants.The leaders noted that nearly 1.76 lakh students of aided schools are being taught by teachers struggling with financial hardship. They warned that the teaching community may express its anger during the upcoming Tarn Taran by-election, holding the Punjab government responsible for the growing unrest.