CHANDIGARH: The Education Department Punjab today released the grant for salaries of 392 recognized aided schools out of 399 schools in the state who were receiving 95 % grant-in-aid from the State Government.   Only those 7 schools had not received this grant due to the dispute of the teaching and non-teaching staff with their Managements as they had not submitted their pay bill claims to the department till date.

Disclosing this here Thursaday Dr. Upinderjit Kaur, Education Minister Punjab said that the staff of seven schools namely Khalsa College Sr. Sec. School Amritsar, Indira High School Kinor (Ropar), M.D.S.D Sr. Sec. School, Kapurthala, G.A.D. High School Pathankot, Doaba Arya Sr. Sec. School Nawan  Shehar, Hindu Public High School Patiala and S.S Harbhagwan Middle School Samana (Patiala) had participated in a strike during the month of December, 2006. The managements of these schools have shown their agitating staff as absent from the school for this period. As the managements had not submitted the salary bills of their staff for this period to the government, the education department was unable to release the 95% grant-in-aid to these schools.

She further added that the department had reminded to the managements for atleast five times during the last four months for this lapse but they did not pay heed to such requests of the department.   It is learnt that the Union leaders of these schools are liaisoning with the Punjab Government to condone this absentee period. The department had already released the grants to these schools upto 31-12-2006. She affirmed that the department would immediately release salary bills of these employees once these schools managements submitted their claims.