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Most schools pay teachers peanuts
KATHMANDU, MAY 12 -
Despite frequent hikes in tuition fees and school operators' pledges to increase salaries of their staff, most teachers in the private schools of Kathmandu Valley are still underpaid.
“I take 30 classes a week at the lower secondary level for which I get a monthly salary of Rs. 5, 000,” said Niraj Mandal, a teacher at a school in Boudhha. “I have not got a raise for the last five years.”
Although some private schools have increased their staff's pay and benefits on a par with hiked fees, many schools have flouted the salary hike provision set by Private and Boarding Schools of Nepal (PABSON) and National Private and Boarding Schools of Nepal (N-PABSON).
“The private schools have hiked tuition fees by 25 percent this year. According to a provision, each school should allocate 60 percent of the hiked amount for staff's salaries and 40 percent for scholarship and maintenance of infrastructure,” said N-PABSON Chairperson Gita Rana. Despite this, most of the private schools in the Valley have not adhered to his provision.
“Although there has been a slight raise in my salary, it is much less than provisioned by the umbrella organisations of private schools,” said Smriti Maharjan, a lower secondary level teacher from a school at Thapagaun. “My salary has increased from Rs. 3500 to Rs. 4,000 this year.”
School operators, however, claim that they have followed the rules and criteria set by N/PABSON.
“We have increased staff's salary by six percent this year,” said Surendra Dhital, principal of Madan Bhandari School.
Dhital said that his school raised pay and perks of the veterans as per the provision, while the salaries of the new staff were fixed by the school unilaterally.
Some schools provide salaries to teachers depending on their experience and performance.
“We give priority to experience, so the teachers are paid according to their experience and professional efficiency,” said D.R Pandey, principal of Deneb International School.
However, PABSON General Secretary Rajesh Khadka said all the private schools must abide by the rules set by PABSON. “If any school flouts the provisions, it will be penalised as per the rules.”
Posted on: 2010-05-13 08:26
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