Mumbai: Around 50 teachers from Lokhandwala Foundation School in Kandivli, recently acquired by the Universal Education group, staged a protest outside the Lokhandwala Foundation office, alleging pay cuts, abrupt transfers and a complete breakdown in communication regarding their employment status.The protest began at 4.30 pm and dispersed around 9 pm.“At the end of the academic year, we were supposed to receive our leave encashment, bonus, and increment, none of which have been given so far,” a teacher told TOI, on condition of anonymity. “Furthermore, a senior teacher who dedicated 11 years to this institution was transferred to another school in the region on a reduced pay scale.”Teachers expressed frustration over being caught in an administrative deadlock. “The new management tells us to approach the old management, while the old management directs us back to the new one. No one is willing to speak to us or address our concerns,” another protesting teacher said. “Withholding bonuses is one issue, but our primary fear now is what will happen to our Provident Fund and gratuity benefits.”When contacted, Nuzhat Khan, principal of Lokhandwala Foundation School, said: “We stand with our teachers, and if they had any issues, they should have approached me. Change is the only constant in life and it is bound to create some kind of ripples.”Addressing the allegations, Jesus Lall, chairperson of Universal Education, stated that the group had not received any formal complaint from the school staff.“We have not received any complaint from the school as of yet, and I do not hold an executive role in this matter,” Lall said. “The teachers are being paid in line with the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations, and they shouldn’t be presumptive about what’s going to happen in the future.”
