CHITRAL-Teachers of Basic Education Community Schools staged a protest against the non-payments of their salaries for the last nine months.
On the occasion, the children and women teachers were holding banners and placards inscribed with slogans in favour of their demands.
Speaking on the occasion, Pradom Jamal informed that there are 83 women teachers in Chitral who have been teaching these children and girls in rented houses for the last 20 years but they only get Rs8,000 per month. This meagre salary is also not being paid for the last nine months, which put teachers into great financial troubles. Teachers said that in the past, they would get Rs1,000 in rent for the school building but now it has also been stopped and the teachers have to pay the rent of the building from their salary.
Jameela Bibi, who was present in the protest, said that she spent 20 long years of her life in educating children in community schools and now in her old age, they have stopped her salary, which is a gross injustice.
Benazir Sultan, another protesting teacher, said that the results of these schools are also good than other government schools. Sultan added that unlike teachers of public schools who receive hefty salaries, community school teachers are paid only Rs8000 per month. Halima Bibi said that some of the community schools do not even have a roof and often take shelter in a tent with children in case of rain and snow or take them to a house room but they were paid only Rs8,000 a month despite teaching in such difficult conditions.
The protesting teachers said that some of their schools have forty-one enrolled students while some have up to sixty-three children. Thus, if their salaries are not paid on time, future of these children would be in danger. As these schools are running with the help of the federal government, they demanded Prime Minister Imran Khan to release their salaries immediately and issue orders to make all the community school permanent so that the children do not lose the chance to get education.