Kozhikode: A fair wage is the right of every worker. Even a daily wage labourer is paid by the evening for their work. Yet, in Kerala, there are 16,000 teachers who, despite working from morning till evening, do not receive a single rupee as salary. This is not just for a year or two—some have been working like this for over a decade.  

The issue has gained renewed attention following the tragic suicide of a school teacher who had endured years without salary here in an aided school. The incident has highlighted the deep financial and emotional distress faced by thousands of educators working without official recognition.  

According to the General Education Department, there are 16,000 unapproved teaching positions across the state, from the primary level to higher secondary schools. Teacher organisations point out that in the higher secondary section alone, there are around 2,200 positions that have not been officially recognised.  

A teacher without official appointment approval shares the painful reality: "When I leave for school in the morning, I cannot even ask my father or husband for bus fare. It is beyond humiliating. As teachers, we cannot go around seeking donations or collections. If someone comes asking for contributions, we have to hide. In the eyes of the community, we are still teachers."  

There are schools where up to nine or ten teachers work under such conditions. Many of them survive by taking tuition classes on weekends, working as drivers, delivering goods from cities to village shops, or even doing manual labour. Those with families are struggling to make ends meet.  

Teacher organisations are urging the government to at least consider paying these teachers a daily wage until their positions receive formal approval.  

It has been 10 years since teachers at eight schools, which were granted Plus Two batches during the Oommen Chandy government, have been awaiting appointment approval. Not only has their status remained unrecognised, but their posts have not even been officially created. There are 56 such teachers in these schools alone.  

"Some teachers have postponed their weddings, hoping to get official approval first. Worse still, we do not even have money to buy a sweet for our students when they graduate. How do we tell them that we have no salary?" asks a disheartened teacher.  

With growing distress in the community and the recent tragedy serving as a grim reminder of the crisis, the demand for urgent government intervention has become louder than ever.