Maharashtra’s school education department has sought explanations from education officials after a preliminary review found 9,509 employees working beyond sanctioned posts across 3,625 schools, raising questions over staffing records and salary administration in the state’s aided school system.
The review also identified 1,484 excess non-teaching employees across 1,206 schools. The department has directed the concerned education officers to submit explanations on the adjustment and status of these employees. The instructions were issued by Primary Education Director Sharad Gosavi and Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Director Dr Mahesh Palkar.
The directions followed a review conducted through a video conference on October 28 involving education deputy directors, education officers and salary squad superintendents across Maharashtra. The review examined records maintained through the Shalarth payroll system and compared them with staffing approvals under the department’s staffing recognition process.
The department found that 612 schools had sanctioned posts but no employees recorded against them. In another 3,642 schools, employee details were absent from both the staffing recognition records and the Shalarth system. The findings point to gaps between approved staffing positions, school-level employment records and the payroll database used for salary-related administration.
A further 842 schools were found to have employee records in Shalarth even though staffing recognition records for those schools were not available. The department has also identified 10,695 employees who are separated from their drawing and disbursing officer codes. Decisions regarding their service status remain pending, according to the report.
The discrepancies are significant because the Shalarth system is used to maintain employee and salary-related records for aided schools. Differences between sanctioned posts, school records and payroll entries can complicate decisions on staff deployment, salary processing and the accountability of officials responsible for maintaining the records. The department’s instructions focus on reconciling these records rather than announcing an immediate final decision on the employees concerned.
The review also covers provident fund records for employees of aided schools. Officials have been directed to update these records and enter the opening balance as of April 1, 2021, into the Shalarth system before November 15. The deadline is intended to clear pending data and record-related issues in the payroll system.
The department has additionally instructed officials to complete all pending matters urgently to avoid technical problems when salaries for November 2026 are paid in December. It has asked authorities to ensure that regular employees receive their salaries on the first day of every month. The latest directions leave the concerned education authorities responsible for submitting explanations and completing the pending record and payroll corrections within the specified timelines.
