Imphal, February 10 2009: The State Government has not been able to pay salary to the teachers working under its Education Department (S) following gross technical error in the preparation of budget for the fiscal year 2008-2009, according to an official source from the Education Department (S) .

The official source disclosed that as the amount earmarked in the budget for payment of salary to the teachers has been exhausted, the State Government has not been able to pay salary to the teachers regularly.

Teachers working in various schools under the Education Department have not been receiving their monthly salary since October this year though some of the teachers including those in the hills have received their salary till December, the source disclosed, adding that even if preparation of the Manipur Government Employment List (MGEL) with regard to Education Department (S) has not yet been completed, the monthly salary of the teachers were being disbursed as a special case.

The source went on to say that irregularities in the transfer and posting of teachers as well as in the recruitment of 663 graduate teachers conducted during April, 2007 are at the root cause of using up the amount earmarked in the budget for payment of salary to the teachers.

In the recruitment of 663 graduate teachers there were posts which do not exist at all and irregularities in the transfer and posting of teachers like posting graduate teachers in higher secondary schools as well as in transfer of substitute teachers have been detected, the source disclosed.

Appointment of graduate teachers instead of lecturers in higher secondary schools and primary teachers in high schools, etc have all led to gross technical error in preparing the budget of the Education Department (S) and ultimately the earmarked amount for payment of salary to the teachers have been exhausted, the source said.

Nonetheless, a revised estimate of the Education (S) has been submitted and the salary of the teachers would be disbursed only when the amount of the revised estimate is granted.

As there is no money, it would be useless to submit the bill for payment of the salary to the teachers as of now, the source informed.

The source further disclosed that in the ongoing rationalisation process of the Zone-I of the Education (S), various irregularities have also come to the surfaced and rectification of the irregularities would take time.

In the Govt schools under Zone-I, many teachers who have been given the responsibility as in-charge have been found to have been appointed as principals.

Since the appointment of these in-charges as principals have the backing of court ruling, they have to continue as principals, the source added.

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