Punjab Govt Moves to End Pay Disparity for 180 ETT Teachers, Orders Fast-Tracking of Inquiry: Harpal Cheema

The Punjab Government on Monday agreed in principle to address the salary concerns of 180 Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) teachers associated with the Jai Singh Wala case, with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema directing officials to expedite the ongoing inquiry into their grievances.

The government has agreed to examine the issue of pay disparity between the affected teachers and their juniors and take steps towards resolving the matter. Cheema said the inquiry report would be obtained without further delay so that necessary action could follow promptly.

“To ensure that the resolution faces no administrative bottlenecks, directions were issued to obtain the ongoing inquiry report without further delay. The Education Department has been directed to initiate immediate follow-up action based on the findings as soon as the inquiry report is submitted,” Cheema said.

The decision was taken during a high-level meeting at the Punjab Civil Secretariat chaired by Cheema in the presence of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains, Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, Special Secretary (Finance) Showkat Ahmad Parray and Secretary, School Education, Sonali Giri.

Representatives of the 180 ETT Teachers Union presented their charter of demands and placed relevant records concerning their case before the ministers and senior officials.

After hearing the delegation, the government expressed its willingness to address the teachers’ financial grievances, particularly the issue of pay disparity with their juniors. The authorities also agreed to expedite the inquiry process to facilitate a time-bound resolution based on its findings.

Kamal Thakur, Sohan Singh, Gurmukh Singh, Gaurav Kant, Gurprit Sidhu and Parshotam Kumar represented the 180 ETT Teachers Union (Jai Singh Wala) during the meeting.