Schoolteachers demand salaries

CHITRAL: Teachers of the government informal basic education schools on Monday asked the federal government to release their seven-month salaries.     The demand was made at a meeting chaired by Haleema Bibi. She said the federal government had withheld teachers salaries for the last seven months, which had created difficulties for them.

Haleema Bibi said there were 3 male and 90 female teachers currently performing their duty in the 93 home-based schools in the district.“Established in 1999 by the federal government, the informal basic education schools were currently providing education to 40 to 25 children in each house and were drawing Rs8,000 salary from government kitty,” she added.

Haleema Bibi demanded the federal and provincial governments increase the monthly stipends to at least Rs17,000 per month and regularise their services.She said the teachers had staged a sit-in in front of the National Press Club on October 1, but Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi had assured them to resolve their issues and later they called off their protest.