8,600 Maharashtra School Staff Face One-Day Pay Cut After July 9 Closure Protest

Mumbai: More than 8,600 teachers and non-teaching staff who participated in the statewide 'School Closure' protest on July 9 may face a one-day salary deduction under the "No Work, No Pay" policy, as the Maharashtra School Education Department begins verifying attendance records across districts.

1,466 schools remained shut during teachers’ protest

According to data compiled by the department, 1,466 schools remained shut during the protest, while 8,600 teaching and non-teaching staff joined the agitation. Out of 24,693 secondary and higher secondary schools in the state, 22,910 functioned as usual. A total of 2,72,097 teachers and non-teaching employees were present in schools, while only 80 staff members were officially on leave.

Even before the protest, Director of Education Dr. Mahesh Palkar had warned that headmasters, teachers and non-teaching staff keeping schools closed would face a day's salary deduction under the "No Work, No Pay" rule. Following the protest, the School Education Department sought detailed reports from divisional deputy directors, district education officers and Mumbai's education inspectors to assess the extent of participation.

District-wise reports to determine action against absent employees

The department is now expected to verify attendance records district-wise before initiating action against employees who remained absent without authorisation during the protest.

The agitation had the greatest impact in the Kolhapur and Nagpur divisions, while schools in Pune, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Latur and Amravati divisions largely remained operational. Officials also noted that the count of closed schools in the Mumbai division includes 190 schools in Vasai, Palghar district, where holidays had already been declared by the Disaster Management Department due to heavy rainfall. In several districts, teachers expressed symbolic support for the protest by wearing black badges while continuing classroom activities.

Authorities had directed schools to remain open during agitation

Ahead of the agitation, the Education Directorate had directed all divisional and district education authorities to ensure that aided, partially aided and unaided private schools remained open to prevent academic disruption for students. The department reiterated that students' educational interests remained its top priority.

Teacher organisations had called the statewide protest over issues including the mandatory Teacher Eligibility Test (TET), alleged irregularities in promotions, the staffing approval policy, and the increasing burden of non-academic duties assigned to teachers.

District-wise participation figures show the highest number of protesting teachers in Kolhapur (2,739), followed by Nagpur (2,546), Solapur (963), Palghar (642), Satara (440), Wardha (413), Sangli (236), Hingoli (220), Dharashiv (198) and Ahilyanagar (55).

The Education Department is expected to take a final decision on salary deductions and any further administrative action after completing the verification of attendance and participation reports submitted by districts.

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