Inquiry launched after teachers allege they pay bribe to get salaries

MANSEHRA: Kolai-Palas Education Department has launched an inquiry against officials of the sub-divisional education officer’s office, who allegedly received financial gratifications from teachers for releasing their salaries for the first time after their appointments about five months ago.

“We have constituted a two-member committee to find out who had received bribes for teachers for releasing their salaries of the last five months,” District Education Officer (DEO) Kolai-Palas Umar Zaman told reporters on Sunday.

The DEO said the committee would give its findings after holding a probe and meeting teachers within seven days. He said the committee was being led by Sharafat Khan, the deputy district education officer Kolai-Palas, and also having assistant district education officer Noorul Hadi as its member.

A teacher, who also allegedly paid the bribe along with almost all teachers appointed last year, told reporters that staff of the SDEO office in Batara received bribes from the teachers whose salaries had not been issued since their appointments.

“The SDEO officials received the money to release our salaries and stated that the money taken from us would be paid to officials at the district accounts office,” he said. The teacher said that instead transferring salaries into their bank accounts or issuing it through cheques, they were paid manually.