Supreme Court Demands Pay Parity for Gujarat's Contractual Teachers

The Supreme Court has delivered a stinging verdict against Gujarat's education policy, condemning the state's "discriminatory" pay practices towards contractual teachers. In a judgment issued on August 22, 2025, the court has restored pay parity for contractual assistant professors in Gujarat's government engineering and polytechnic colleges, overturning a previous High Court ruling.

The court observed that while teachers are the "intellectual backbone of the nation," the state has been paying them a "pittance" while expecting them to dedicate their lives to shaping young minds. The judges noted that the mere chanting of "Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devo Maheshwara" rings hollow when educators are being treated as "cheap labor."

The dispute dates back to 2015 when a group of contractual lecturers challenged the state's policy of paying them Rs 30,000 per month without increments, while ad hoc lecturers earned over Rs 1.16 lakh and regular faculty more than Rs 1.3 lakh for identical duties. The Supreme Court not only reinstated the single judge's order in favor of the teachers but also directed the state to pay arrears with 8% interest from three years prior to the filing of the petitions.

The ruling has sparked a broader debate about the salary structure for Gujarat's teachers, with contractual "Gyan Sahayaks" in schools earning significantly less than their fully regularized counterparts. The Supreme Court's judgment has sent a clear message that austerity cannot come at the cost of justice, and that the state must respect teachers not just in words, but in deeds.