Software glitch delays teachers’ salary disbursal in Kozhikode

Around 65 teachers of the school had submitted their salary bills online on July 20 and the salary was expected to reach them before August 5.

The teachers of Ramakrishna Mission High School, Meenchanda, Kozhikode are yet to get their July salary due to some ‘technical error’ in the Service Payroll Administrative Repository for Kerala (SPARK). It is a web-based salary management application used by the government.

Bills submitted

Around 65 teachers of the school had submitted their salary bills online on July 20 and the salary was expected to reach them before August 5. “It is already August 20 and we are yet to get our salary,” said M. Manoj, a teacher.

The office of the District Education Officer (DEO) was responsible for the glitch. A team of teachers, including the Headmaster, had brought the matter to the notice of the DEO office. The response from the section concerned was ‘disappointing,’ Mr. Manoj said. The government had recently handed over the administration of SPARK to a private agency, making things further ‘complicated,’ he said.

Annual increment

Headmaster Ajitha Krishnan said that 23 teachers were to get the annual increment along with the salary. Despite the technical glitch, the teachers could have drawn the salary if they wanted to without the increment this month. “But they insisted on the increment this month itself,” Mr. Krishnan said. The agency which maintained the software was expected to fix the issue soon, he added.

DEO’s response

DEO P.C. Jayasree told The Hindu that the salary would reach the teachers once the problem was sorted out.

“As far as I know the agency people are already looking into the matter. It is expected to be rectified without much delay,” she said. Teachers could draw their salary for the month without the increment if they preferred so, she added.