Avoiding an imminent protest of teachers against the nonpayment of house rent allowance for the last two fiscal years, the Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division has sought Rs 586 million additional grant from the government.
Joint Secretary of Ministry of Capital Administration and Development Division Prof Rafiq Tahir, talking to Pakistan Today, confirmed that they had moved a summary to the Ministry of Finance, seeking Rs 586 million additional grant to pay teachers’ ceiling dues.
“It is a serious matter. If we get the grant, we will clear all the dues of the teachers”, he added.
Thousands of teachers affiliated with the Federal Directorate of Education have been running from pillar to post for the last two years to get their house rent allowance and after this move they hope to get their due right of house rent.
“We have fed up as due to non payment of house rent…our landlords have started threatening us to get vacated our houses,” said Arslan Ahmed, a school teacher.
He said that it is of matter of shame for people sitting in the helm of affairs as owner of rented house have been threatening to throw out teachers belonging on roads.
It is relevant to note here that thousands of teachers of FDE run schools and colleges are facing difficulties as they had not been paid the monthly house rent allowance for the last two years.
“My landlord has been threatening me and my family of throwing our household in street as I have not paid the rent for the last many months. It is a good news for teachers community as CAAD has moved a summary for additional grant,” said Professor Tahir Mahmood, general secretary of FGCTA.
He said that professors and teachers were being humiliated by the owners of rented houses, thanks to the mismanagement of FDE administration.
“So far teachers’ community in some extent managed to pay their house rent by reducing their kitchen budget, borrowing money from relatives and by taking loans from banks, but now our all options have almost ended,” said a female teacher, wishing not to be named.
While talking to a number of teachers, Pakistan Today observed that due to unavailability of house ceiling, a large number of teachers have shifted to rural areas of the capital from the urban parts where house rent is relatively low.
The teachers’ community hailed the CAAD decision of seeking ceiling grants and demanded of the government to release the amount.
