Pune: 36 Months Of Salary Pending, Teachers & Drivers Stage Protest Outside Sinhagad Springdale School

The staff of Sinhagad Springdale School, situated in Pune's Ambegaon, staged a protest on Tuesday at around 10 am. The teachers and the school drivers have gone on strike, protesting against 15 months of unpaid salaries. Over the past two days, the teachers have refused to conduct classes and are instead staging a protest, which has left students without guidance, leading to frustration among parents.

The school, which follows the CBSE curriculum, has around 300 teachers and thousands of students. The school has four branches – Karve Nagar, Warje, Ambegaon and Vadgaon Budruk – and all the branches are facing the same issue.

Sunil Belekar, a parent whose ward studies in the 9th standard, speaking to The Free Press Journal, said, “Due to the non-payment of the teaching and non-teaching staff, the education of our wards has been halted. The teachers and bus drivers are on strike, and we parents and children are facing the brunt of it. This school's mismanagement is impacting our kids’ education and our lives, too. I came to pick up my child because school drivers are on strike. We pay fees of Rs 4,200 to the school and Rs 1,500 for the bus facility per month. Despite paying the fees on time, we are being troubled like this. Three exams – Hindi, Marathi and Maths – are still pending due to the strike. What’s our fault in this?” asked the parent.

The FPJ also spoke to the school staff. Parvin Kolape, a bus driver, said, “For the past two days, we have been on strike. Yesterday, we conducted a strike at Sinhagad Springdale School in Vadgaon, and today at Ambegaon. I haven’t received my salary for the past 11 months. This is not happening for the first time. Earlier, when we protested, we got the salary in 2025, but our salary for 36 months from 2016 to 2024 is still pending. We don’t get our salary regularly, and it has impacted our lives badly. We have bills to pay, and the financial strain has caused much trouble to our families. We have reached out to the Collector and even the PMC Commissioner and police, but our issues haven’t been resolved.”

On the condition of anonymity, one of the teachers sitting on strike said, “We have had several meetings with the Sinhagad Technical Education Society, Pune Chief, School Administrative Officer Vaibhav Dixit, and Principal Asha Dhore. We even reached out to the Collector, but no solution has been reached regarding our outstanding salaries. We want our pending salaries to be credited. Once we get the salaries, we will resume teaching.”

Another teacher, on the condition of anonymity, said, “From 2016 to 2024, the salaries of 36 months of both teaching and non-teaching staff are on hold. Because we protested, we started getting the salary in 2025, but that was not regular. So far, 11 months’ salary of bus drivers, 15 months’ salary of cleaning staff, and 14 months’ salary of teachers are pending for 2025. The previous payment of 36 months is also pending. We will resume work only if we get our salary. We want our salary and not just assurance.”

Meanwhile, the FPJ tried to contact the school management, but could not get a response.