Ignored educators: 300 primary teachers unpaid for nine months
Employees not paid since June, Finance EDO says they will be paid in full on Nov 1.
GUJRANWALA:
As many as 300 primary schoolteachers and 55 grade-4 employees in the Gujranwala district have not been paid their salaries for over five months.
The workers belong to the Gujranwala, Kamonke, Nowshera and Wazirabad tehsils.
The teachers and employees were transferred to other schools during a rationalisation exercise but the change in their posting was not communicated to the Finance Department.
An official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune that the first rationalisation took place in 2010. He said primary school teachers were transferred according to the number of students in various schools. He said some non-teacher had transferred in the rationalisation that took place in June. “The 300 primary school teachers and 55 grade-4 employees have been unpaid since January 2012,” he said.
He said DCO Chaudhry Muhammad Amin held two meetings on Friday and Saturday to discuss the issue.
Education EDO Shaukat Ali Tahir told The Express Tribune that the EDO Finance office had not sent the budget for the teachers to the Accounts office. He said, “We have been writing letters to the Finance EDOs office but they have not taken any action.”
Employees Association Grade 1-15 general secretary Abid Zaheer Dar said the government should take notice of the matter at the earliest. He said the primary school teachers and Grade-4 employees were facing extreme difficulties.
He said the employees would protest if the matter was not resolved before Eid.
Primary school teacher Asifa said they had been regularly visiting the office of the Education EDO but he had taken no notice of the issue.
Finance EDO Tariq Mehmood said the 300 unpaid teachers were newly hired teachers which had been posted and rationalized against unsanctioned seats.
“The Education EDO had took permission from the DCO without the approval of the EDO Finance’s office,” he said. He said when the Education EDO sent the bills to the Accounts’ Office, they responded that the seats had not been sanctioned. He said the problem was at the end of the four Education Deputy DOs who never provided us the details of the newly transferred teachers.
He said the teachers will not get their salaries before Eid but it will be given five months of salaries on November 1.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2012.
As many as 300 primary schoolteachers and 55 grade-4 employees in the Gujranwala district have not been paid their salaries for over five months.
The workers belong to the Gujranwala, Kamonke, Nowshera and Wazirabad tehsils.
The teachers and employees were transferred to other schools during a rationalisation exercise but the change in their posting was not communicated to the Finance Department.
An official speaking on the condition of anonymity told The Express Tribune that the first rationalisation took place in 2010. He said primary school teachers were transferred according to the number of students in various schools. He said some non-teacher had transferred in the rationalisation that took place in June. “The 300 primary school teachers and 55 grade-4 employees have been unpaid since January 2012,” he said.
He said DCO Chaudhry Muhammad Amin held two meetings on Friday and Saturday to discuss the issue.
Education EDO Shaukat Ali Tahir told The Express Tribune that the EDO Finance office had not sent the budget for the teachers to the Accounts office. He said, “We have been writing letters to the Finance EDOs office but they have not taken any action.”
Employees Association Grade 1-15 general secretary Abid Zaheer Dar said the government should take notice of the matter at the earliest. He said the primary school teachers and Grade-4 employees were facing extreme difficulties.
He said the employees would protest if the matter was not resolved before Eid.
Primary school teacher Asifa said they had been regularly visiting the office of the Education EDO but he had taken no notice of the issue.
Finance EDO Tariq Mehmood said the 300 unpaid teachers were newly hired teachers which had been posted and rationalized against unsanctioned seats.
“The Education EDO had took permission from the DCO without the approval of the EDO Finance’s office,” he said. He said when the Education EDO sent the bills to the Accounts’ Office, they responded that the seats had not been sanctioned. He said the problem was at the end of the four Education Deputy DOs who never provided us the details of the newly transferred teachers.
He said the teachers will not get their salaries before Eid but it will be given five months of salaries on November 1.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 21st, 2012.