The Ahmedabad City District Education Officer (DEO) has fined Diwan Ballubhai Kankaria Primary School ₹10,000 after a teachers’ strike disrupted classes and left students unattended. On Monday, teachers from both English and Gujarati medium sections of the Kankaria and Paldi branches staged a protest demanding a lawful salary hike. However, the strike drew criticism when students were kept sitting in classrooms without lessons.

While students who came by bicycle returned home, those who arrived by school vans and rickshaws were forced to stay back, leading to anger among parents. The strike continued until evening before being called off after management assured teachers that a decision on salary revisions would be taken by the 20th of the month.

Teachers alleged that the school trust failed to implement a fair salary structure, claiming that while some staff members received significant raises, others got minimal or no hike at all. Terming the process discriminatory, they resorted to a strike.

Following the incident, the DEO served a show-cause notice to the school principal and management, instructing them to appear in person and provide an explanation. The Kankaria and Paldi campuses together manage four primary schools with about 250 staff, including teaching and non-teaching personnel.

Since the school did not inform the DEO’s office about the protest, a fine of ₹10,000 was imposed. Additionally, the salaries of all striking teachers will be deducted for one day, and the school has been directed to submit an action-taken report.