Inflation-hit teachers demand pay raise, allowance adjustments

Islamabad: As the prices of essential commodities and utility services have skyrocketed in the last one year, the All Pakistan Professors and Lecturers Association (APPLA) has demanded of the federal and provincial governments to announce a 100 per cent pay raise and allowance adjustments for all government employees, including teachers, in the upcoming budget.

It also called for steps to bridge the disparity in the salaries paid to different categories of government employees. APPLA president Professor Munawar Abbas told reporters on Monday here that house rents had gone so high that the allowance given to government employees for the purpose didn't meet their accommodation expenses.

"The current house rent allowance is too little to secure even a single room making it incredibly challenging for employees to afford reasonable accommodation for themselves and their families," he said. APPLA senior vice-president Dr. Rahima Rehman highlighted the stark mismatch between the conveyance allowance granted to employees and the rising transportation costs, primarily attributed to the inflated fuel prices.She said the conveyance allowance failed to cover the substantial expenses incurred by government employees for daily commuting. APPLA general secretary Professor Jamshed Khan said the medical allowance offered to government employees was woefully inadequate. He said the meager medical allowance didn't cover the costs of basic healthcare necessities such as monthly medicine expenditure.

Other association leaders, including Dr. Kaleem, Prof Tariq Baloch, Prof Rehmat Ali, Prof Shahjahan, Prof Tariq Saleem, Prof Faiz Muhammad, Prof Abdul Razzaq Kakar, Prof Ehtesham Gul and Prof Muhammad Siddique also called upon the government to take immediate action by un-freeze and appropriately increase the conveyance, medical, and house rent allowances for government employees. They said the sought-after adjustments were necessary to align the allowances with the current inflation rate to help government employees meet expenses.