Project to run evening shifts ‘likely to fail’

Teacher salaries and other administrative issues remain unresolved

MULTAN: The Punjab government's project to launch evening shift in higher secondary schools in south Punjab seems to be failing as funds to pay staff haven't been released as yet.

The project was started in August 2017 and since then principals, teachers and non-teaching staff haven't been paid their salaries.

The government decided to start the second shift in government schools at union council level all over the province. The classes were started from August 17, 2017, soon after the summer vacations.

Initially, the government promised to pay Rs150,000 per month to run an evening shift in one school. Some of the schools hardly get any non-salary budget (NSB) grants. In the project, the salaries for principals were fixed at Rs18,000 to Rs20,000, for teachers Rs16,000 to Rs18,000 and Rs7,000 for non-teaching staff. In the project, the amount of Rs150,000 was set for one school to pay a principal, four teachers and two non-teaching staff and utility bills.

PTU member Ameena Begam said that in the current situation, all schools are facing financial problems.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2018.