Teachers regret conveyance allowance denial in summer break

Islamabad : The teachers of government educational institutions in Islamabad Capital Territory have complained that they’re denied the Rs5,000 conveyance allowance during the summer vacation though employees of other departments have been drawing transport monetisation payment since January 2012.

The teachers told ‘The News’ that the Fundamental Rules and Supplementary Rules entitled a civil servant to conveyance allowance but the teachers weren’t given the conveyance allowance during summer vacation on the pretext that as there’re no classes during the summer break, they didn’t teach.

They said under the rules, the period of summer vacation was considered to be part of duty and all allowances were payable to the government employees, including the conveyance allowance.

The teachers insisted that the conveyance allowance could be deducted from the salary of a government employee only when he or she was on earned leave and that the period of summer vacation was not earned leave in any case.

They added that even during vacation, the teachers remained on call.

“The summer break is neither granted on demand nor is it offered to the employees of the public sector educational institutions as option,” a college teacher said.

He said in response to the appeal filed by 10 teachers in 2014, the Federal Services Tribunal had favoured the teachers’ plea saying, “There seems to be no justification whatsoever for depriving appellants/teachers of the payments of conveyance allowance during the period of summer vacation. The conveyance allowance is payable to the appellants with effect from the 2014 when the departmental appeal/representations were filed by these appellants/teachers.”

The teacher said the Finance Division later filed a civil petition for leave to appeal with the Supreme Court against the FST verdict but got no relief from the apex court, which dismissed the petition.

“The Finance Division is now in a fix about whether to file a review in the Supreme Court or allow teachers to draw the summer vacation conveyance allowance,” he said.

When contacted, Professor Tahir Mahmood of the Federal Government College Teachers Association supported the teachers’ demand and said the provincial governments had allowed teachers to draw conveyance allowance during summer vacation and so, the Finance Division should follow suit.

He also complained that there was a big anomaly and discrimination in various government departments on the basis of salary.

“A BPS-20 civil servant of all other departments is drawing Rs65,960 per month as transport monetisation in addition to his or her salary but a teacher of the same grade is deprived of the conveyance allowance of summer vacation, which is just Rs5000 a month.”

Professor Tahir also regretted that the employees and officers of other departments enjoyed some facilities, which teachers were denied.

“The pay of the Federal Board of Revenue employees is 100 per cent more than the teachers’. Also, the employee of courts and judiciary are drawing 300 per cent more salary than a teacher’s of the same grade,” he said.

The FGCTA representative said there were so many other instances of discrimination.

“Teachers are allowed only nine earned leaves annually but other government employees are entitled to 48 days earned leave,” he said asking the new government to enforce a uniform pay structure and facilities for all its employees.