Teachers promoted but yet to receive financial benefit

ISLAMABAD: Teachers who have been promoted by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in April have yet to receive the financial benefits that go along with their new positions due to an inordinate delay in their posting on vacant seats by the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE).

An official said that the ministry had on April 30, 2020, notified the promotion of some 36 teachers working under the FDE. However, they have yet to be posted on their respective seats.

In a meeting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) held at the ministry on February 26, 2020, the promotion of 36 teachers from basic pay scale (BPS) grade-17 to BPS-18 was recommended.

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Later, the ministry notified the promotion of these teachers. Those who were promoted include 13 women and nine men in the assistant professor grade at federal government colleges. Moreover, nine male assistant professors and five assistant headmistresses of model colleges of Islamabad were promoted as well.

FDE rules and regulations state that the Accountant General Pakistan-Revenues (AGPR) starts issuing the salary of the next grade from the date of posting orders.

Since the FDE has yet to issue the appointment letters, the AGPR has not released the increased pay. The delay is causing a huge financial loss to the promoted teachers.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a female teacher at a college in the federal capital said, "Issuance of posting orders can happen in a day or two but the FDE has not been able to do it even after six weeks."

She added that teachers will remain deprived of benefits they are entitled to of the next grade until FDE issues their posting orders.

A teacher at the Islamabad Model Postgraduate College of Commerce in Sector H-8/4, who is awaiting his posting orders, expressed deep concerns over this inordinate delay.

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"I am deprived of my due financial benefits associated with my higher grade because posting orders have yet to be issued," he said.

Expressing concerns over the inordinate delay, another teacher of a model college deemed that the FDE is not taking the issue seriously.

The delay is causing serious concern amongst promoted teachers, the teacher said, urging the FDE to immediately issue posting orders to save them from further financial loss.

When contacted, a senior official at FDE said that the posting orders should have been issued as there was no reason to delay it. He added that the posting orders will be issued by the authority shortly.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2020.