Sarva Shiksha Kerala: Staff salaries delayed due to funding issues

Kozhikode: The salaries of teachers and staff under the Sarva Shiksha Kerala (SSK) scheme have been held back due to a delay in receiving funds from the central government. As of July 17, the salary for June has not been disbursed.

The SSK Project Director's office informed that the reason for this delay was the funding stall, attributed to Kerala's non-participation in the centrally-initiated Pradhan Mantri School for Rising India (PM-SHRI), which includes provisions for 'Sarva Shiksha Kerala'.

This delay has persisted since the beginning of the new financial year. While salaries for April and May were paid late (on May 18 and June 15 respectively) due to funds being diverted by the State finance department, the salary for June remains pending.

The SSK Project Director's office expects the State finance department to release the necessary funds by the end of this week to ensure that salaries can be paid out without further delay.

Approximately 6,000 individuals, including daily wagers and contract teachers, are part of the Sarva Shiksha Kerala scheme. Salaries vary by role, with specialist teachers earning Rs 13,000 per month, elementary school teachers for differently-abled students earning Rs 20,000, and secondary teachers receiving Rs 25,000. There are also support staff like office assistants and data entry operators across 168 Block Resource Centres.

For the Sarva Shiksha Kerala scheme, the State government covers 40% of the salary expenses, while the central government contributes 60%.