Every morning in rural Bihar, Shivani drapes a crisp cotton saree and squeezes into a crowded bus to reach the private school where she teaches. Inside the classroom, she is “Madam” — admired, respected, and greeted with a cheerful chorus of “Good morning.”

But once the school bell falls silent, she returns to a reality stripped of that respect: a woman who has taught for nearly a decade yet survives on just ₹8,000 a month, without a contract, pension, or health benefits.

“If I fall sick or lose this job,” she says quietly, “there is nothing to fall back on.”

Shivani’s story mirrors that of millions of teachers across India. According to UNESCO’s State of Education Report for India, 42% of the country’s teachers lack formal contracts. In private schools, the picture is grimmer — 69% have no contracts, and the majority earn less than ₹10,000 a month. In rural areas, women teachers earn on average ₹8,212 — nearly 40% below the national mean.

Contract teachers, expendable workers

The crisis is not confined to private schools. In Odisha, thousands of junior teachers are demanding regularisation of their jobs. For six years, they are kept on contract with limited rights, no career progression, and no access to benefits — their service seen as cheap labour rather than nation-building.

Women on the frontline of exploitation

Teaching in India is a profession dominated by women, particularly at the primary level. Yet the very gender that shapes classrooms is also the one most vulnerable to exploitation.

·        Many women are paid “honorariums” instead of formal salaries, keeping them outside the protection of labour laws.

·        Demands for better pay are often dismissed, with teaching romanticised as a “noble calling.”

·        Women juggle unpaid domestic responsibilities with underpaid teaching hours.

·        During the pandemic, some private schools slashed salaries by up to 65%, leaving women dependent on spouses or forced to take up night tuition.

One teacher in Uttar Pradesh described her double life: “I spend mornings teaching alphabets and evenings stitching clothes for neighbours. My students think I am respected. They don’t know I earn less than the man who sells them ice-cream outside the school.”

A profession stripped of dignity

For many, the pain goes beyond low pay. Teachers like Sunita in Haryana confess that while students hand them roses and cards on Teachers’ Day, their minds are on unpaid bills, bus fares, and their own children’s school fees.

What was once a safe and respected profession for women has become a trap — stable only in appearance, while insecurity defines its core.

The systemic betrayal

Private schools collect lakhs in annual fees, yet by some estimates spend as little as 2% of that on teachers’ salaries. India celebrates its knowledge economy, but the women who carry classrooms on their shoulders remain invisible, underpaid, and expendable.

This anger is spilling onto the streets. In Odisha and Mizoram, teachers boycotted Teachers’ Day celebrations in protest against unpaid salaries and exploitative conditions. Yet for women like Shivani, protest is not an option — losing a job could mean losing survival itself.

Beyond symbolic gestures

Teachers’ Day in India has long been about roses, speeches, and handmade cards. But symbolism cannot pay rent or buy groceries. What educators need is structural change:

·        Enforceable contracts for all teachers.

·        Minimum salary benchmarks across both public and private schools.

·        Social security and health benefits, especially for women who form the backbone of the teaching workforce.

This Teachers’ Day, India owes its educators more than applause. It owes them dignity, security, and fair pay.