Transport allowance: Months on, educators remain without perks
Teachers told to wait and see.
Teachers told to wait and see. PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD 3:
Over 200 teachers in Islamabad in grades 20 to 21 are waiting for the government’s approval on resumption of conveyance allowance, which was announced last year.
The Monetised Transport Allowance was announced by the government in the budget for 2012-13 and was to be implemented from January 1.
Surprisingly, the teachers are already being taxed for the allowance. A grade-21 teacher from Federal Government Post Graduate College for Men H-8, said, “I am not receiving the allowance, but tax against it is being cut from my salary.”
Voicing the same concerns, a teacher from FG Margalla College for Women, F-7/4 said only selected people get the benefits while the rest suffer.
Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) President Tahir Mahmood told The Express Tribune that the authorities concerned must understand the importance of being a teacher. He said bureaucratic hurdles are being created just to keep such perks and privileges out of reach.
According to the monetised transport facility for grades 20 to 22, fuel, repair, maintenance and other expenses would be the responsibility of civil servants for which they would be given allowances ranging from Rs65,960 to Rs95,910, depending on grades.
After the announcement, teachers applied for the allowance and initially, some were issued endorsement letters. After a few months, the number of applicants soared into hundreds and the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) conditioned the cheques with objections.
That included approvals from the Capital Administration and Development (CAD) secretary affirming which teachers are not availing the facility or government vehicles.
On the demand of AGPR, the teachers and principals wrote to CAD ministry for the certificates, but in October, CAD instead wrote to the Cabinet Division to clarify whether teachers are allowed to avail the facility or not.
Upon receiving the letter, the Cabinet Division wrote back to the ministry after two months and raised five queries — whether the teachers were using vehicles at the time of the facility started, whether they were promoted on time-scale or regular scale, if other CAD-attached departments are enjoying any such facilities, what conveyance allowances they receive and whether or not they are civil servants.
The CAD secretary said they had replied to the objections raised by Cabinet Division and the holdup was not at the ministry’s end.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2013.
Over 200 teachers in Islamabad in grades 20 to 21 are waiting for the government’s approval on resumption of conveyance allowance, which was announced last year.
The Monetised Transport Allowance was announced by the government in the budget for 2012-13 and was to be implemented from January 1.
Surprisingly, the teachers are already being taxed for the allowance. A grade-21 teacher from Federal Government Post Graduate College for Men H-8, said, “I am not receiving the allowance, but tax against it is being cut from my salary.”
Voicing the same concerns, a teacher from FG Margalla College for Women, F-7/4 said only selected people get the benefits while the rest suffer.
Federal Government College Teachers Association (FGCTA) President Tahir Mahmood told The Express Tribune that the authorities concerned must understand the importance of being a teacher. He said bureaucratic hurdles are being created just to keep such perks and privileges out of reach.
According to the monetised transport facility for grades 20 to 22, fuel, repair, maintenance and other expenses would be the responsibility of civil servants for which they would be given allowances ranging from Rs65,960 to Rs95,910, depending on grades.
After the announcement, teachers applied for the allowance and initially, some were issued endorsement letters. After a few months, the number of applicants soared into hundreds and the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) conditioned the cheques with objections.
That included approvals from the Capital Administration and Development (CAD) secretary affirming which teachers are not availing the facility or government vehicles.
On the demand of AGPR, the teachers and principals wrote to CAD ministry for the certificates, but in October, CAD instead wrote to the Cabinet Division to clarify whether teachers are allowed to avail the facility or not.
Upon receiving the letter, the Cabinet Division wrote back to the ministry after two months and raised five queries — whether the teachers were using vehicles at the time of the facility started, whether they were promoted on time-scale or regular scale, if other CAD-attached departments are enjoying any such facilities, what conveyance allowances they receive and whether or not they are civil servants.
The CAD secretary said they had replied to the objections raised by Cabinet Division and the holdup was not at the ministry’s end.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2013.