Teacher DA Hike: West Bengal Teachers to Get 10 Percent DA Hike Before Election
Teacher DA Hike: In a significant move ahead of the upcoming elections, the State Government has announced a 10 percent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for teachers and non-teaching staff. The School Education Department has officially issued a notification confirming that staff across government schools, government-aided institutions, and Sanskrit Tols will benefit from this increase. This decision comes as a relief to many educators who have been waiting for the disbursement of their due allowances.
Revised DA Calculation
According to the state’s previous announcement covering the years 2024 and 2025, a total hike of 20 percent in Dearness Allowance was promised. Out of this, the first tranche of 10 percent was released in April 2025. The remaining 10 percent, which had been pending, has now been cleared for disbursement this February.
With this latest hike, teachers and employees drawing salaries under the ROPA 2009 pay scale will see their total Dearness Allowance jump from the existing 161 percent to 171 percent.
Timeline for Arrears Payment
The notification specifies that this 10 percent hike is effective retrospectively from April 2025. This means beneficiaries will not only receive the increased monthly allowance moving forward but are also entitled to receive the arrears accumulated over the past year. The payment of this specific 10 percent tranche had been delayed for nearly a year and is finally being cleared just before the polls.
Reactions from the Teaching Community
The announcement has elicited mixed reactions from the teaching fraternity, particularly from the “DA-getting schools.” These are a specific category of approximately 40-45 schools in the state where the government provides only the Dearness Allowance, while the School Managing Committee bears the cost of the basic pay.
Bibhas Sanyal, Principal of the renowned Scottish Church Collegiate School, stated, “This is our rightful due. The amount, along with the arrears, should be disbursed as quickly as possible.”
However, concerns regarding the timing were raised by Swapan Mondal, General Secretary of the Bangiya Shikshak O Shikshakarmi Samiti. He pointed out that the government habitually delays this specific 10 percent component for DA-getting schools. “The dues are being cleared now keeping the elections in mind. We must ensure that such delays do not recur in the future,” he added.
