Threaten to boycott future assignments given by RBISE. PHOTO: FILE
Several teachers, who were engaged by the Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (RBISE) for marking answer scripts last year, have yet to receive payment.
The board’s apathy has caused a feeling of unrest and further demotivated teachers, who have threatened to boycott future assignments if payments are further delayed.
Office-bearers of the Punjab Teachers’ Union (PTU) district chapter while talking to The Express Tribune expressed dismay over the delay in payment.
PTU District President Raja Shahid Mubarak said that the board conducts eight exams including two annual and two supplementary examinations every year. “Each teacher checks 1,200 to 1,500 papers for each examination, but the RBISE offers payment for only 600 papers,” he claimed.
He said that the teachers were already overloaded with work including performing emergency duties and the delay in payment would affect their overall performance.
PTU Provincial General Secretary Liaquat Rana claimed that around 1,000 teachers in Rawalpindi and 20,000 teachers in other eight boards of the province were waiting for payments for the last many months. “All the boards collect millions of rupees from students in examination fee,” Rana said.
He claimed that the examination fee collected from students is deposited in banks by the boards to earn interest.
PTU District General Secretary Imtiaz Abbassi said that teachers have to work in basements in scorching heat and a suffocating environment to ensure secrecy for marking papers and they deserve their payments on time. He said some teachers, who performed their duties in 2011, have not been paid by the board.
He said that the money earned through marking answers scripts and performing examination duties was the only source of income for 95 per cent of teachers. Rawalpindi BISE Spokesperson Arsalan Cheema disputed the claim that the number of affected teachers was so high. He said that the board disburses payment as soon as marking was done. He added that he would look into the matter.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 2nd, 2014.
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