Bureaucratic delay: 762 teachers await salaries since Aug 2012

EDO (Finance) says matter likely to be resolved next week, blames Education Dept.

GUJRANWALA:

As many as 762 school teachers in the district have not been paid their salaries for over five months, The Express Tribune had learnt. These teachers belong to Gujranwala, Kamoke, Nowshera Virkaan and Wazirabad tehsils.

The teachers said that they were appointed in August 2012 in the middle, primary and high schools, but the notification had not been forwarded to the Finance Department.

Executive District Officer (Education) Shaukat Ali Tahir denied the allegation. He said the details about the teachers, recruited in the 9th, 14th and 16th grades, had been forwarded to the Finance Department, but were returned with some objections. Talking to The Express Tribune, he said, the filed were, however, sent back with the required information. He said the delay on payment of salaries was from the Finance Department’s side.

EDO (Finance) Tariq Mehmood said that the Finance Department was not causing the delay.



He said the Education Department had provided incomplete information on both occasions.

He said they were required to change the name of the teachers’ post from elementary school teachers to educators, which they did not do. “We cannot proceed with incomplete information,” he said.

He said the two departments were working to resolve the matter. “It might take a week or so,” he added.

Punjab Teacher’s Union Divisional President Tariq Qureshi said the officials had been making the same excuses for five months.



He urged the officials to treat the matter as a priority as hundreds of teachers were facing difficulties.

He said the teachers had been regularly visiting the offices, but the problem had not been solved.

He said the teachers did not want to agitate, but if they were not given their salaries for one moreweek, “they would be forced to take to the streets”.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd, 2013.