One of Kerala’s lowest paid professionals: The private school teacher

Kerala has long been known for offering the country’s highest wages for manual labour, attracting lakhs of interstate migrant workers every year. A construction worker earns around Rs 1,200 a day, agricultural labourers often make more than Rs 1,000, and domestic workers earn at least Rs 500 a day.

But what is one of the lowest paid jobs in the state?

Based on interviews with several teachers, Labour Department officials as well as activists, TNM found that teaching in private schools could be a top contender. Teachers with postgraduate or Bachelor of Education (BEd) degrees said they earn monthly salaries as low as Rs 8,500 to Rs 15,000. Many of them have also cleared the Kerala Teacher Eligibility Test (KTET), the state government’s qualifying examination for teachers. Despite years of experience and annual increments, many remain outside the protection of minimum wage laws and have little bargaining power to demand better pay.

In contrast, the starting salary for government school teachers in Kerala is around Rs 40,000 per month.

TNM spoke to at least 22 teachers from eight districts in the state, working in large, medium, and small CBSE and ICSE schools. The schools are run by individuals, trusts, religious organisations, and other private managements.

At least 12 teachers said they were offered salaries between Rs 9,000 and Rs 13,000 when they joined. Four teachers, despite having worked in the same school for more than six years, currently draw salaries between Rs 8,500 and Rs 9,500. Three others, including one male teacher, said their salary is Rs 15,000 after working more than three years in the same school.

Three teachers declined to disclose their salaries, saying they felt ashamed to speak about it. However, they said no female teacher in their school earns more than Rs 15,000 a month.

A few teachers employed in schools that follow international curricula said they earn more than Rs 20,000 a month.

A workforce without voice

Mary*, a 45-year-old English teacher from Kozhikode district, has been working in the private education sector for the past 15 years. Her monthly salary is Rs 10,500.

“I am embarrassed to tell you my salary. When I joined, I was paid Rs 4,500. Every year, they increase it by such a small amount that I can’t even talk about it outside. You can imagine what my annual increment looks like if I’m getting only Rs 10,500 after 15 years,” she said.

Sharadha*, a 49-year-old teacher from Kannur district, earns only Rs 8,500 a month.

“Teachers who joined recently are paid Rs 12,000. Since I joined almost 10 years ago, I still get only this much. My annual increment was just Rs 250,” she said.

Mary and Sharadha’s stories reflect the reality faced by hundreds of private school teachers across Kerala.

All the teachers TNM spoke to have postgraduate degrees along with a BEd. Most of them have also cleared KTET.

“I completed my PhD in Mathematics. Two years ago, I applied for a high school teaching post at one of the biggest schools in Thiruvananthapuram district, where my son also studies. They offered me a salary of Rs 9,500. My travel expenses alone would have been nearly half that amount, so I did not accept the offer,” another teacher told TNM.

Private school teachers, the overwhelming majority of whom are women, constitute one of the largest unorganised workforces in Kerala.

“If we have any demand, we are not even allowed to raise it collectively. Only if we approach the management individually and plead with them, they might agree to listen. A few years ago, a group of teachers in our school met the manager to ask for a salary hike. They were all asked to leave the school. The management is afraid of teachers organising,” said a teacher from Idukki district.

A teacher from Kannur district recounted a similar experience.

Elsa*, a senior teacher from Alappuzha district, said there is a reason why many women continue to remain in the profession despite the low pay.

“There has long been a perception in society that teaching is the ideal profession for women. It is seen as a 10-to-5 job that allows women to return home before dusk. It is also considered a ‘respectable’ profession. Because of this, many women stay on in these jobs while preparing for government recruitment exams. Some eventually secure government posts, while many others remain trapped in private schools,” she said.

“Some teachers manage to move to the UAE to work in Indian schools there. Even the salaries there are no longer very attractive, so many have migrated to the Maldives instead. Others have moved to north India to teach in schools run by Kerala-based religious organisations or trusts. These are among the few opportunities available for private school teachers from Kerala to escape the system here,” she added.

“What else can we do? Our families won’t allow us to take up daily wage work, even though it pays much better. They believe that after studying so much, we shouldn’t be doing manual labour. So our entire lives become a struggle to secure a government teaching job,” said Anupama*, a teacher from Malappuram district.

Gender gap

Teachers also pointed to a clear gender pay gap in the sector, with male teachers often earning more than female teachers with similar qualifications and experience. In many schools, men are primarily appointed as physical education, drawing, or sports teachers.

“A male physical education teacher earns about Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 more monthly than a female teacher with the same experience. When I was hired, I was offered a salary of Rs 10,000. In the same year, a male drawing teacher was recruited and offered Rs 15,500,” said a 24-year-old teacher from Palakkad district.

A school principal from Thiruvananthapuram attributed the disparity to hiring practices.

“Men generally do not accept teaching jobs if the salary offered is below Rs 15,000,” she said, adding that qualified women physical education teachers are also relatively rare.

Sulfath M Sulu, a prominent women’s rights activist, told TNM that there have also been allegations of salary-related irregularities in private schools.

“There is a practice in some schools where the salary shown in official records is higher than what teachers actually receive. On paper, one amount is recorded, but in reality they are paid much less,” she said.

“There have been attempts to organise private school teachers, but they have not been successful. Building a strong teachers’ organisation is essential and is perhaps the only long-term solution to this exploitation,” she added.

Almost every teacher TNM spoke to said they were too afraid to even think about forming or joining an organisation.

No minimum wage protection for teachers

The Kerala Labour Commissionerate has issued minimum wage notifications for 91 employment and industry sectors. These notifications cover almost every major employment sector in the state, except the teaching staff of private educational institutions. The only notification related to private educational institutions applies to non-teaching staff.

These minimum wage notifications have been issued by the Kerala government using the powers vested under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 (Central Act 11 of 1948), after consultation with the Minimum Wages Advisory Board.

The latest notification concerning the private education sector was issued in February 2021. However, it deals exclusively with the “minimum rates of wages payable to employees employed in the Private Educational Institutions (Non-Teaching) Industry Sector.”

The notification revised the pay scales for 11 categories of non-teaching employees. Monthly wages range from Rs 11,130 to Rs 12,230 for sweepers and ayahs, and Rs 16,990 to Rs 21,390 for administrators, administrative officers, and site engineers. In addition to the basic pay, employees are entitled to Dearness Allowance. Those who complete at least five years of service under the same employer are eligible for one additional increment for every five years of service, subject to a maximum of three increments. The notification also provides grade promotions for eligible clerical and accounting staff after 10 years of service, protects employees already receiving higher wages and allowances, and clarifies that staff whose salaries are paid by the government under government pay scales are outside its purview.

Rajitha, a field officer with the Thiruvananthapuram District Labour Commissionerate, told TNM that labour officials are unable to intervene because there is no legal provision covering private school teachers.

“We used to receive complaints from private school teachers. But we are not able to take any action because teaching staff are not covered under the minimum wage notifications. Even when we conduct inspections at schools, we interact only with the non-teaching staff. We don’t even meet the teachers,” she said.

* Name changed

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