Salary crisis for 96 Palamu Assistant Teachers as NIOS certificate verification remains pending

The future of 96 newly appointed Assistant Teachers in Palamu has been thrown into uncertainty as verification of their D.El.Ed certificates by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Noida, remains pending for several months.

The teachers, appointed under the Assistant Teacher Combined Competitive Examination conducted pursuant to Advertisement No. 13/2023 of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), had received their appointment letters from the Chief Minister in November 2025. However, their salaries have now been withheld from September 2026 due to the delay in verification of their educational certificates.

According to the affected teachers, the certificates were forwarded to NIOS, Noida, by the District Superintendent of Education (DSE), Palamu, through several communications between November 2025 and March 2026. Despite the passage of several months, the verification reports are yet to be received.

The matter was also taken up by Chatra MP Kalicharan Singh following a representation from the teachers. Through Letter No. 485 dated June 27, 2026, the MP wrote to the Chairman, Secretary and Director (Examinations) of NIOS, urging them to expedite the verification process. The letter referred to Memorandum No. 3208 dated June 4, 2026, issued by the DSE, Palamu.

However, the teachers allege that no concrete action has been taken by NIOS so far.

The Jharkhand Education Project Council, Ranchi, had reportedly allowed the teachers an additional four-month period and continued their salary payments during that period. With the extended period now over, an order has been issued to stop their salaries from September 2026.

The delay has left the affected teachers facing serious financial difficulties. They have approached the Prime Minister’s Office, the Union Ministry of Education, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand and senior NIOS officials through emails, seeking immediate intervention and resolution of the matter.

The teachers have alleged that the responsibility for verification primarily rests with the concerned regional office and have expressed dissatisfaction over what they describe as an indifferent approach by the NIOS Regional Centre in Ranchi.

They have further stated that if the issue is not resolved at the earliest, they will approach the High Court against the Regional Director concerned.

The teachers have also warned that any untoward incident arising from the financial distress caused by the withholding of their salaries would invite responsibility on the concerned authorities.

The affected teachers are now awaiting an early resolution so that their certificate verification can be completed and their salaries restored.