Mumbai: No Diwali for us, say teachers and staffers of Dongri school

The general squalor witnessed by mid-day at the Habib Esmail Education Trust school in Dongri on Friday. Pics/Ashish Raje

Office-Goers have been receiving bonuses and gifts ahead of Diwali, but the staff of the Habib Esmail Education Trust school in Dongri has not been paid their dues for over two months. The matter came to light after Bodhi Atul Darastekar, the BMC-appointed school in-charge of the primary section, and some staff members approached the Dongri police station on Wednesday.

Darastekar also alleged that the school's chairman, Javed Shroff, does not allow the staff to go home until midnight and keeps them engaged in non-teaching work almost every day till 2 to 3 pm.

"We have been working round the clock in exchange for no salary for over two months. Everybody is in a festive mood but we have not been paid our salary. The teaching staff has children at home but their bank accounts are empty. This is a hopeless Diwali for us," she told mid-day.
"The staff, including peons, had taken loans on the basis of this job. It's very difficult to repay them and run our houses. We can't even think of celebrating the festival," she added.

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A teacher, requesting anonymity, said, "We have been demanding our salary for some time, but the chairman is tightlipped. How will we celebrate Diwali? Our children are also demanding clothes and firecrackers but we are unable to provide them. We are not even able to buy sweets. This is a black Diwali for us."
Her colleague said, "We also took loans and our EMIs are pending due to non-payment of our salary. This is a festival of happiness and lights but in our life, there is darkness due to the chairman."

The infrastructure of the school, including the classrooms, are also in a dilapidated condition, alleged Darastekar.

Shroff is an influential local politician, said the in-charge of the school which is attended by 1,000 students. She added, "Around 60 staffers have been appointed by the BMC to work in this school, but its management didn't submit the pay sheet to the BMC to release our salary."

Bodhi Atul Darastekar with a copy of the police complaint filed on Wednesday

"I have submitted my complaint to Dongri police station against the school chairman as he has been mentally harassing me besides verbally abusing me and other staff members. It is not possible to keep women employees engaged in non-teaching work till midnight or pre-dawn hours in the name of meetings. He (Shroff) walks into the school around 9 pm or 10 pm and then calls us for meetings. This has become a regular practice," she alleged.

Recently, the BMC education department also sent a letter to the school.

The letter, dated October 17, read, "School management did not submit the October pay sheet of the staff nor give a written explanation as to why they failed to submit it. Due to this reason, the BMC education department has not issued salaries to the staff. The school and its management will be responsible for this." When mid-day visited the school on Friday, it was, indeed, found to be completely rundown.

A parent said, "Our children are not able to go to the toilet at school because it stinks and is filthy. We also complained to the school management many times that our children could not urinate for the entire day due to the state of the toilet."

Parents also complained that the classrooms of students up to Std IV have been shifted to the fifth floor and young children have to climb all the way up for classes. BMC Education Officer Raju Tadvi said the civic body had received complaints from the school's teachers. "They will get their salaries very soon. Our team is working on this issue. This is a BMC-aided school and we are issuing salaries to the teachers and the staff. Our inspectors will look into the matter of the school in-charge allegedly being harassed by the chairman. If found to be true, we will take the strictest action."

Senior Inspector Shabana Shaikh of the Dongri police station said, "We received a complaint from school teachers and in-charge Bodhi Darastekar of harassment by the chairman. We have started an investigation and once it is completed, we will take the appropriate action."

Shroff termed the allegations "baseless and bogus". "She (Darastekar) is making false allegations since the education department has asked the management to take action against her for misbehaving with Vinod Kadam, education superintendent, MCGM. Parents have also complained about her manhandling children. An inquiry is ongoing against her over various complaints. She has joined a political party and is misquoting, threatening and boasting of her proximity with Supriya Sule."

He added, "Recently, she threatened the seniormost teacher, Mrs Nanjiani, and peon Ms Ruksana. Both of them have approached the Dongri police in this regard. Due to the aforesaid complaints against her, she is making false allegations to pressurise the trust."

Shroff said that the meeting she referred to was an official school committee meeting, which is attended by all heads of department of various institutions under the trust. "As per the convenience of all heads, this meeting is held after school hours," he said.

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Day in October when the school's teachers filed a police complaint