‘Govt accused of discrimination’

Teachers from Telangana's model schools are raising serious allegations of discrimination by the state government, claiming that essential benefits like death gratuity and family pensions are being withheld from their families, unlike for other government employees. This bureaucratic delay has left affected families in severe financial and emotional distress, with a key approval file languishing unresolved for over three years. The issue stems from the government's apparent selective application of rules.

While all state employees under the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) — introduced for those appointed after 2004 — are entitled to death gratuity and family pension upon an employee's demise, model school teachers say these provisions are not being enforced in their cases. "The government is implementing one set of rules for everyone else and another for us," lamented the teachers, highlighting the ongoing apathy that has caused immense hardship. Telangana boasts 194 model schools, employing around 3,000 teachers who were recruited in 2013.

These educators fall squarely under the CPS framework, with 10% of their monthly salaries deducted toward the scheme, matched by an equal government contribution. Government Orders (GO) No. 58 and No. 60 explicitly mandate death gratuity and family pension for all CPS employees. Yet, for model school staff, these benefits remain unimplemented, sparking questions about the disparity."Why only us?" the teachers ask. Proposals to address this were prepared during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government and forwarded to the finance department.

However, the file has been bouncing back and forth between the education and finance departments for three years, citing various reasons without any final approval. Most recently, the finance department sought clarifications on several points from the school education department, which is now preparing responses to resubmit the file soon.The human cost is stark: Since 2013, approximately 40 model school teachers have passed away, and four have retired. None of their families have received the due benefits, exacerbating their grief with economic instability.

For instance, one teacher who joined in June 2013 with a basic pay of Rs 74,840 died in September 2023 after a decade of service. His family should have received a death gratuity of Rs 8,75,826 and a monthly family pension of Rs 37,420 — but nothing has been disbursed. 

Similarly, another teacher who joined in July 2013 and died in September 2024 was entitled to Rs 7,87,590 in gratuity and Rs 33,650 monthly pension, yet the family remains empty-handed.

"This is a grave injustice," stated Bhutham Yakamallu, President of the Telangana Model Schools Teachers Association. "The GOs are crystal clear, yet they're not being implemented. The families of deceased teachers are suffering financially and mentally. The government is discriminating solely against model school teachers. We demand immediate enforcement of death gratuity, family pension, and even compassionate appointments for eligible kin."As the standoff continues, the teachers' association is urging swift action to rectify what they describe as systemic neglect, ensuring parity with other state employees and providing relief to the beleaguered families.