Pune: 10 Sinhgad schools lose recognition after teachers go 18 months without salary

The state education department has ordered the recognition of ten schools run by the Sinhgad Technical Education Society in Pune to be withdrawn. The reason is that salaries of teachers at these institutions have been pending for 18 months. Deputy Director of Education Machhindranath Kadam signed the order. Six of the ten schools are secondary and four are primary.

The unpaid teachers had refused to take classes until their dues were cleared, and teaching came to a standstill. The department said it also weighed the harm this was doing to the children. According to the order, the arrears are not limited to teachers: non-teaching staff at these schools have also gone without pay for the same 18 months.

The department said it had issued repeated notices, directions and warnings, but the management did nothing to improve matters. The society had been told to clear all arrears and pay regular salaries by June 29, 2026. It failed to meet that deadline. The department then acted under Rules 7.1, 7.2 and 7.3 of the Secondary School Code.

The order affects schools in six localities: Narhe, Ambegaon, Khusgaon, Warje, Karvenagar and Kondhwa. Among the secondary schools, the Sinhgad College of Arts, Commerce and Science has lost recognition at three campuses, in Narhe, Ambegaon and Kondhwa. Sinhgad Public School in Khusgaon is also covered. RMD Springdale Secondary School is hit at two sites, Warje and Karvenagar-Erandwane.

On the primary side, the order covers Sinhgad Springdale School in Ambegaon and Sinhgad Springdale Public School in Wadgaon. It also covers Sinhgad City School in Kondhwa and RMD Sinhgad Springdale School in Warje.

At the hearing, the society put forward its own side. It said it was short of funds because the government had not released a large sum due to it as reimbursement under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. It added that the Seventh Pay Commission had pushed its salary bill up considerably, and that parents were not paying full fees on time. The management said it would clear the teachers' arrears once the RTE money came in.

The department did not accept this. It noted that salaries had been held back for a long period and that no corrective step was taken even after repeated notices.

The order will not bite immediately. The cancellations take effect on May 1, 2027, which is the start of the 2027-28 academic year, so the schools will not close right away and students can complete the current year. Education officials have been told to shift children gradually to recognised schools nearby, and the authorities concerned are responsible for making sure the studies of current students are not interrupted.

The society can challenge the decision. It has 30 days from the day it receives the order to appeal to the Director of Education. The matter has caused a stir in the education sector, and attention now turns to whether the society will appeal and when the teachers will finally be paid.