PHC summons officials in PPS&C teachers’ salaries crisis

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday summoned the secretaries Elementary and Secondary Education, Establishment and Finance to personally appear before the court to explain the financial crisis in the Peshawar Public School and College (PPS&C) and why the approved grant-in-aid had not been disbursed.

The department has been unable to pay salaries to its teachers for several months.

A bench of the PHC comprising Justice SM Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah heard the petition filed by the Peshawar Public School and College Employees Association and other staff members.

The petition prayed the court to direct the government to release the approved grant for the institution. Advocate Nauman Mohib Kakakhel represented the petitioners.

The lawyer argued that the Peshawar Public School and College was a public sector institution managed by a board of governors comprising government officials.

He contended that while the school was financially thriving, the merger of the girls’ branch into it a few years ago led to the diversion of funds to cover the expenses of the girls’ branch.

He pleaded that this burdened the institution to such an extent that it was now unable to pay salaries to its employees, including teachers, due to financial crunch.

The lawyer said that according to the law the government could provide grant-in-aid. A summary requesting this was sent by the BoD and grants of 40 million and later 70 million were approved but never disbursed.

He informed the court that the institution was unable to pay its teachers their monthly salaries.