India, April 10 -- More than 1,000 teachers in the city working at government and aided schools have not received their salaries since March after being declared "surplus" due to the closure of schools because of low student enrolment. Many of the teachers are in financial distress, and unions have accused the government of delaying their redeployment and stopping salaries unfairly.

A government resolution issued in March 2025 declared that schools with fewer than 20 students were being shut down. At present, around 100 schools in Mumbai, including 57 Marathi-medium schools, come into this category. The surplus teachers, no longer linked to any school, have stopped getting a salary from March since salaries are processed through the 'Sha...